<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lost and Found (Revised version) by SlytherinsArmy1230</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24614314">Lost and Found (Revised version)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinsArmy1230/pseuds/SlytherinsArmy1230'>SlytherinsArmy1230</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fix-It, Time Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:35:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24614314</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinsArmy1230/pseuds/SlytherinsArmy1230</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto is lost. His brother in all but blood has betrayed him a second time by bringing back Madara Uchiha, thus bringing about the end of the world! Naruto doesn't know what to do now that he and Kakashi are the last two remaining survivors. Kurama, of course, has all the answers. He suggests time travel and Naruto is hesitant, until Kakashi pushes him to do it.</p><p>How will things go differently this time? Will Naruto be able to actually stop everything that happened from happening again?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>102</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, I ended up deleting the original Lost and Found because I wasn't sure if anyone was getting notifications that I had edited the prologue.</p><p>I made changes, but the biggest change was the time period that Naruto went back to.</p><p>I hope this will make more sense down the road compared to the original. Also, thanks to everyone who has supported this story and has stayed with me so far.</p><p>Again, I am open to constructive criticism and I appreciate the constructive criticism I've already received from the original story.</p><p>Also, if I don't respond to any constructive criticism right away, it's because I usually need time to think about my responses. I don't have great social skills, so I apologize if it seems irritating or that I'm ignoring you. I promise I'm not!</p><p>Okay, so that should be everything for now. If you have any questions, feel free to message me :3</p><p>UPDATE: I've decided against paring Naruto up with anyone because of how I've started it off. I think it'll be good without an established relationship for Naruto.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I went through and proofread it again and realized there were still some mistakes. So, I fixed them lol</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            “You have to make a decision, Naruto.” Shikamaru, one of Naruto’s best friends, said frowning. “What Sasuke is doing isn’t right.”</p><p>            “I know.” Naruto said, his chest tight. He wanted to cry, but he knew it wasn’t going to help the situation. Naruto was such an idiot for actually believing that he’d saved his brother in all but blood from the path of darkness. Sasuke had been checking in every now and then while he travelled the Fire Country. The last Naruto had heard from him, he said he’d heard rumors about the Ōtsutsuki clan showing up and that was it. Naruto was worried that he’d been captured, or worse, killed. So, he sent a team of ANBU to Sasuke’s last known location. They never came back, so he sent Sai to check it out. Turns out, Sasuke had killed the ANBU members that he sent for Sasuke. Also, according to Sai, Sasuke has defected from the village and is now moving on his own. Naruto wanted to go after Sasuke himself, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. Suddenly, his office door bursted open and Sakura stood there, looking out of breath.</p><p>            “I-Is it true? Sasuke killed those ANBU members? Please,” She half-sobbed. “Please tell me that’s not true, Naruto.”</p><p>            “I’m so sorry, Sakura-chan.” Naruto said grimacing. “I wish I could say it was all just rumors. But Sai recovered the bodies and they were all killed by Chidori. Only two people know that jutsu and Kakashi has been in this village the whole time.” She nodded, looking faint.</p><p>            “Sakura, don’t do anything stupid.” Shikamaru said narrowing his eyes at her. She shook her head.</p><p>            “I’m not going to go after him. Not again.” She said sounding hurt. The feeling in Naruto’s chest tightened. “I don’t want to go through that again. I’ll figure out something to tell Sarada.”</p><p>            “You should take a break from work.” Naruto suggested. “I know you need a distraction from this, but you shouldn’t force yourself to work like this.”</p><p>            “Thanks, but you should take your own advice.” She snapped at him. Naruto flinched. She sighed. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I know you can’t. Just, will you tell me what your decision is before you make an official announcement? I want to prepare myself, so that I can comfort Sarada.”</p><p>            “It’s the least I can do.” Naruto said nodding. She smiled.</p><p>            “Thank you, Naruto. And, I know this is tough for you too, so if you need to talk later, let me know.” She said gently.</p><p>            “Thanks, Sakura-chan.” Naruto said smiling at her.</p><p>            “Anytime, Hokage-sama.” She said winking at him before leaving his office. Naruto shook his head. Ever since he’d become Hokage, his friends always called him Hokage-sama with a hint of teasing on the rare occasions they got together to hang out. Of course, they called him that respectfully as well, but usually when the situation is serious. Naruto leaned back in his chair and heaved a big sigh.</p><p>            “Well, at least she’s not angry with you.” Shikamaru said after a few minutes of silence. Naruto snorted.</p><p>            “Honestly, it’d make me feel better if she was.” He said shaking his head. “That way I’d at least know if she wasn’t okay.”</p><p>            “That’s true.” Shikamaru said sighing. “Now then, what are you going to do about Sasuke?”</p><p>            “We’ll have to declare him a rogue ninja.” Naruto said frowning. “I don’t know what he’s up to, but I get the feeling that whatever it is, it’s bad news for Konoha.”</p><p>            “Yeah, he wasn’t too happy about hearing why his brother was exiled from the village, was he?” Shikamaru mused. “I’ll get on it.”</p><p>            “Also, let the other villages know that if they do come across Sasuke, he’s dangerous and to run if possible.” Naruto said grimly.</p><p>            “Of course.” Shikamaru said nodding. “Oh, and Naruto?”</p><p>            “Yeah?” Naruto asked him.</p><p>            “Don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s not your fault.” Shikamaru told him sternly. Naruto nodded, with a smile. “Good. I’ll keep you posted.” Soon, Naruto was left to himself.</p><p>            ‘I don’t like where this is going, Kit.’ Kurama had told him.</p><p>            “I don’t either, Kurama.” Naruto said frowning. “You don’t think he’s going to try and create an army, do you?”</p><p>            “No. I’m not.” Sasuke’s voice said snapping Naruto out of his mind. Naruto quickly jumped out of his chair, narrowly escaping Sasuke’s blade. His poor chair was cut in half though.</p><p>            “Sasuke, why are you doing this?” Naruto asked glaring at him from across the room.</p><p>            “You already know what really happened to my brother.” Sasuke answered him. “I simply want revenge for everything he was put through.”</p><p>            “But Itachi didn’t want you to seek revenge for him!” Naruto said giving him an exasperated look.</p><p>            “No. But Nii-san isn’t here, is he?” Sasuke said coolly. He activated both his Mangekyō and Rinnegan. Naruto pulled from Kurama’s chakra and braced himself. “I’m not going to let him stop me from getting my revenge. You see, I’ve brought a familiar face with me.” Naruto froze as a very familiar and terrifying chakra signature showed itself.</p><p>            “No...” Naruto said faintly. “Do you realize what you’ve just done?”</p><p>            “Yes. And I don’t care!” Sasuke snarled at him as Madara Uchiha appeared next to him. Oh, gods no! Naruto sent off a few clones to send for the others to evacuate the citizens immediately. Madara immediately went after the clones, but Naruto had other plans.</p><p>            “You’re both my opponent.” Naruto said in a dangerously low voice as he cut him off. He was still hurt by Sasuke’s second betrayal, but he was going to put that aside for now. He needed to focus on keeping his village safe and alive.</p><p>            “If you say so.” Madara said turning to him with a smirk. “I doubt you could take both of us on at the same time. No matter how powerful you are.” Naruto gritted his teeth.</p><p>            “Let’s go, Kurama.” Naruto said in a steeled voice.</p><p>            ‘You don’t have to tell me twice!’ Kurama said eagerly. It’d been a while since Kurama got to have some fun.</p><p>            That’s how the ending of the world started. Sasuke, who betrayed Naruto twice, brought Madara Uchiha back to life. Konoha had fallen that day, most of its citizens and ninja survived. Gaara was closest and volunteered to take them in until they could figure out how to deal with Sasuke and Madara. That lasted maybe two weeks before Sasuke and Madara showed up. In that time, Gaara and Naruto managed to get word to the other three Kage and came up with half a decent plan to put a stop to the two Uchiha. The only problem was before they could execute said plan, Sasuke and Madara blew up their way into Suna and destroyed the whole village as well. The remaining civilians of Konoha had been killed with the rest of the Suna civilians. Luckily. Naruto’s family survived both attacks. He spent half the time comforting them and the other half working towards putting a stop to Sasuke’s and Madara’s terror. The remaining survivors were all ninja, from Suna and Konoha. Naruto and Gaara managed to hide everyone in a cavernous mountain as they made their way to Iwa. Months had gone by and they’d managed to successfully hide themselves from the Uchiha duo long enough to make it into Iwa. The only bad news is, it also gave the two Uchiha enough time to use the Reanimation Jutsu to create an army of undead. They used the undead to wipe out the smaller villages across the earth while Sasuke and Madara focused on the Hidden Villages. Kurotsuchi actually laughed and called Naruto and Gaara both pathetic, but in a teasing way.</p><p>            She demanded an explanation after getting her laughs and looked very grim at the end of it. It was another month before Sasuke and Madara had found them. Naruto learned the two went to Kumo and Kiri, destroying both villages, looking for them. Both Raikage and Mizukage were dead, according to Sasuke. Naruto felt terrible for what happened to both villages. Things were going great between all five Hidden villages, but then Sasuke had to ruin that by continuing the cycle of hate that Naruto had spent so long trying to end. He’d sacrificed a lot to achieve the peace times they had and Sasuke managed to undo it all with in five months. Six years of trying hide from Sasuke and Madara led to Naruto and Kakashi being the only remaining survivors. Kakashi was badly injured and Naruto tried his best to heal him, but he was shit at it. The two were currently hiding in one of the many man-made caves that was carved into the earth by a few beast balls. “I don’t understand how this could’ve happened.” Naruto said miserably as he managed to get Kakashi’s side to stop bleeding. Kakashi grunted.</p><p>            “We may never know how this came to be, but it doesn’t do any good to dwell on it, Naruto.” He told him, wincing as he tried to sit up properly. Naruto wordlessly helped him. “Hey, you couldn’t have seen any of this coming. So, don’t blame yourself for this.” Naruto gave him a hollow smile.</p><p>            “Yes, I could never have seen this coming. But that doesn’t make me feel any better, Sensei...” Naruto said sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. It had grown longer in the years he’d spent on the run from Sasuke and Madara. Naruto had witnessed all his precious people being tortured and killed by the two Uchiha. They had captured him and his family at one point. They forced him to watch Hinata and his two beloved children be tortured and killed. It still brought him to tears when he thought about them. He managed to escape, but he felt like he was turning back on his wife and children as he did.</p><p>            “You’re doing your best and that’s all anyone could ask for.” Kakashi said patting his shoulder.</p><p>            “I should’ve stayed with them.” Naruto whispered.</p><p>            “If you had done that, both of us would be dead by now.” Kakashi said sighing. “And I’m sure Kurama-san wouldn’t be happy if you let yourself be killed.”</p><p>            “No. It wouldn’t be fair to him or his siblings.” Naruto said feeling even worse than before. The other tailed beasts managed to stay hidden all this time, but recently, they’ve been hanging out inside of Naruto. It made him feel uncomfortable having that much chakra running through his body, but he dealt with it. Kakashi grimaced.</p><p>            “I didn’t mean to make you feel worse.” He mumbled. Naruto snorted.</p><p>            “It’s good to know you still suck at comforting people, Sensei.” Naruto said with a chuckle.</p><p>            “Well, that’s never really been my thing. I always let others deal with it.” Kakashi said shrugging. “So, what’s the plan now?”</p><p>            “I don’t really have one.” Naruto said looking up at the cave ceiling.</p><p>            ‘I have one.’ Kurama spoke up for the first time in a few days. ‘Well, all of us have one.’</p><p>            “Kurama and the others have one, apparently.” Naruto informed Kakashi.</p><p>            “Go ahead and get the details. I’ll stand guard.” Kakashi said forcing himself to get up and failing.</p><p>            “Sensei, I can create clones.” Naruto said giving him a deadpanned expression. “Just sit down before you start bleeding again.” Kakashi grumbled and did as he was told as Naruto created two clones to keep an eye on the cave entrance. Naruto entered his mindscape that was now shared between him, Kurama, and the other tailed-beast siblings. It was a bit cramped, but everyone had enough room to move around.</p><p>            “So, what’s the plan?” Naruto asked curiously as he seated himself in front of them.</p><p>            “The old man taught us a seal that we’re only supposed to use as a last resort.” Kurama explained to him.</p><p>            “Okay, what does it do?” Naruto asked frowning. He wasn’t going to get upset at them for not telling him sooner.</p><p>            “It transfers your mind back in time to a younger version of yourself and depending on some calculations, you can pinpoint any time you think is necessary.” Kokuou explained.</p><p>            “So, you’re saying with the right calculations I could go back as far as I want?” Naruto asked surprised.</p><p>            “Yes, but as long as you don’t choose a time before you were born. If you do that, you’ll die.” Gyuuki said grimly.</p><p>            “Yeah, we wouldn’t want that.” Naruto said sighing.</p><p>            “We can give you the seal, but you’ll have to figure out what point in time you need to be in.” Matatabi said, curling her tails around her feet.</p><p>            “Will you all be able to come with me? And Kakashi Sensei, too?”</p><p>            “We might be able to come with you, but depending on what time you go to, your body won’t be able to handle all our chakra. Your body is barely dealing with it now.” Isobu explained.</p><p>            “And your sensei won’t be able to go with you.” Shukaku answered. “It can only take one person’s mind back.”</p><p>            “Oh...” Naruto said frowning.</p><p>            “Think about it, okay?” Son Goku told him. Naruto was surprised by how gentle he was being with him. Normally the four-tails was much more boisterous and very prideful. That is to say, all the tailed beasts were prideful.</p><p>            “I will.” Naruto said nodding. He came out of his mindscape to find Kakashi was starting to nod off. “Get some sleep, Sensei.”</p><p>            “I will, if you will.” Kakashi said yawning. “What was their plan?”</p><p>            “They know a seal that will take my mind back in time to a younger version of myself. But you won’t be able to come with me.” Naruto said sadly.</p><p>            “Honestly, I’d just be dragging you down.” Kakashi told him very seriously.</p><p>            “No.” Naruto said shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you, Sensei. I can’t... I can’t do this by myself.” Tears started to form in the blond’s eyes and he couldn’t stop them from falling.</p><p>            “You won’t be by yourself.” Kakashi said reaching up and rubbing the tears away with his thumb. “You’ll have Kurama with you.”</p><p>            “Yeah, but... I need you Sensei.” Naruto whispered.</p><p>            “If you do end up going back in time, I’ll still be there. I won’t be the same as I am now, but you can count on past me to be there for you.” Kakashi said confidently. Naruto sniffled and nodded.</p><p>            “Yeah, you’re right about that.” Naruto said with a smile.</p><p>            “Good. Now, have you figured out what time you want to go back to?” Kakashi asked him.</p><p>            “Um, I was thinking about going back to when I was three. It’s before Sasuke’s family gets massacred.” Naruto said thoughtfully. “Maybe, if I’m able to stop it from happening, then this won’t happen again. Matatabi said we had to do the calculations to get there.”</p><p>            “That’s okay, I’ll help you.” Kakashi said encouragingly. Naruto nodded. Soon, the two were working on a massive seal in the cave. Luckily, the cave floor was big enough and that Naruto had plenty of Sealing Ink with him. They did the calculations and Naruto filled in the empty spots in the seal with the correct information. He took in a deep breath and let it out once they were finished.</p><p>            “Sensei, thank you for everything.” Naruto told him, looking away from their hard work.</p><p>            “What can I say? I don’t want to disappoint Minato Sensei when I see him again.” Kakashi said sounding sheepish. Naruto hugged him. He didn’t usually because he knew the silver-haired ninja was leery of physical contact. But this was the last time Naruto would be able to see <em>this</em> Kakashi. Kakashi hesitantly returned the hug. “Everyone would be proud of you right now.”</p><p>            “Would they?” Naruto asked, his face buried into his sensei’s shoulder. “I feel like I’m running away.”</p><p>            “But you’re not. You’re going back so this doesn’t happen. You haven’t given up on us and they’ll know that.” Kakashi said sternly. “You’re still the Hokage of Konoha.”</p><p>            “I don’t feel like one.” Naruto admitted as he pulled out of the hug.</p><p>            “Maybe not right now. But this is part of being a Hokage. It’s not meant to be easy.” Kakashi told him.</p><p>            “I know. I just wish it didn’t have to come to this.” Naruto said with a grimace.</p><p>            “We all wish that. Now, get going.” Kakashi said pushing him towards the seal. “I think Sasuke and Madara have found us.”</p><p>            “But-“</p><p>            “No buts. Not get going or we’ll lose our chance at reversing all this.” Kakashi said scowling at him. Naruto technically couldn’t see his sensei scowling at him, but by his tone of voice, he could tell. It was funny. When he’d first met the man, he had no idea what he was thinking unless he outright said it. But now, Naruto could tell what he was thinking so easily.</p><p>            “Okay. The next time we meet, I hope it won’t be like this.” Naruto told him. Kakashi just patted him on the back. Naruto approached the seal and took in a deep breath. He let it out slowly before bending down to ground level. He pulled out a kunai and sliced his palm. His hand hovered over the seal for a few seconds before he rested it on the seal. The seal glowed blue and soon, Naruto was being whipped away into darkness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>WARNING: Mentions of rape in this chapter and very gruesome scenes about children death! Please don't read if you're easily upset by these things.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto wakes up in a forest, gathers some information, and talks to old man Hokage! :D</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            When Naruto came to, he was very confused. He was lying in the middle of a forest, but it felt familiar to him. So, that meant he was at least in Konoha. He couldn’t remember why he’d be in a forest and not in his apartment. The old man gave him the apartment the moment he turned three. Naruto sat up from where he was laying and looked around. Oh. He thought as he noticed a shabby tree fort, lined with leaves not far from him. There was a small campfire just to his left. The fire had gone out and there were several small pots and pans scattered around him. That’s right. He took refuge in the forest after some kids started attacking him as soon as he’d left the apartment. Naruto noticed his ANBU guards. There were two of them and one felt very familiar. It was Kakashi. Naruto couldn’t help but start crying. He left his sensei to die to those monsters! How could he do such a thing? ‘Kit, calm down!’ Kurama told him sternly. Naruto sniffled as he got his emotions in check. ‘It seems you don’t have to find that Toad Sage to release me.’</p><p>            “That’s good...” Naruto whispered. He didn’t feel like he was able to speak yet.</p><p>            ‘And don’t respond to me out loud. Your guards will think something’s up.’ Kurama admonished him.</p><p>            ‘Sorry...’ Naruto mumbled in his mind. Naruto hugged his knees to his chest.</p><p>            ‘I’m assuming you hit your mark.’ Kurama stated. Naruto forced himself to get up and go find the nearest water stream. It wasn’t too far off and he looked down at his reflection.</p><p>            ‘Yeah, I look like a three-year-old.’ Naruto told him. ‘Who should I contact first?’</p><p>            ‘Right now, you should focus on gathering information.’ Kurama said, sounding a bit irritated.</p><p>            ‘Sorry, I’m not thinking clearly.’ Naruto apologized.</p><p>            ‘Don’t be sorry. You just went through six years of trauma. I don’t expect you to be able to think clearly after that.’ Kurama said sympathetically. ‘Listen, Kit. We’re on our own right now. So, you have to watch your back. Do you understand me?’</p><p>            ‘Yeah, I’ll try my best Kurama.’ Naruto said feeling determined. He had a mission and his goal to prevent everything that he just left. And it was up to him to succeed.</p><p>            ‘Good. Now let’s check out the village.’ Kurama told him hesitantly. ‘Just take baby steps, okay? If it gets to be too much, leave as soon as you can.’</p><p>            ‘Okay.’ Naruto thought hoping that wouldn’t be the case, but he knew it would be. His traumatized brain will make it worse than it actually is. Naruto was fully aware of his guards watching him. Normally, they didn’t pay too much attention to him, but he’s thrown them off already. He’d have to be more careful from now on. It would be better if they weren’t there, but that won’t happen until after he’s made a genin. Naruto took in a deep breath and let it out before making his way into the village. He made sure none of those asshole kids were around when emerged from the forest. He wondered whatever happened to those kids. He hadn’t seen any of them since the day he was put on Team 7. Oh well. It wasn’t his problem to worry about. He heard children laughing and immediately hid himself. He had to force himself not to hide his presence all together, because that would definitely set off his guards. He knew that once Kakashi was curious about something, he wouldn’t leave it alone until he figured it out. Naruto wanted to reach out to him now, though. He missed him and his precious people. He missed Hinata, Boruto, and Himawari, too. But if he thought too much about them, he’ll end up being an emotional mess.</p><p>            He couldn’t risk that right now. He needed to figure out what the time was and what day it was. The kids passed on and Naruto allowed himself to relax a little. He came out of his hiding spot and continued his way into the main part of the village. He stopped by his apartment to check the calendar. It’s 9 am on a Tuesday. And judging from the year, Naruto had five years to make sure Itachi doesn’t get caught up in Danzo’s plan and to stop the Uchiha from planning a coup de tat against Konoha. That was going to require a lot of hard work that Naruto wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull off on his own. But he’d have to. It was the only way. Naruto checked to make sure it was safe before leaving his apartment. His apartment was trashed and if Naruto remembered correctly, it was those asshole kids who did it. They blitzed him the moment he came out the door and pushed their way into the apartment. For the next thirty minutes, Naruto was being held by two kids as the others trashed his apartment. At the time, Naruto had been really upset about it. But that was a distant memory to Naruto. He couldn’t remember exactly how many days it had been since then or whether he should still be upset about it or not. Oh well.</p><p>            Naruto moved on from his apartment and entered the village with great caution. He didn’t need those kids finding him right away and it was bad enough the adults were glaring at him. Naruto sucked in some air as fear started to take over his body. No, he couldn’t do this right now. He needed to overcome it so that he could move on. He let out a shaky breath and took in another deep breath. He closed his eyes and managed to center himself again. But only barely. Naruto rushed off, still making sure those asshole kids weren’t anywhere nearby. He should gather information from the ninja around here. That would be less suspicious than if he had gone straight to the Uchiha compound. Naruto made it seem like he was lost when he stumbled across two gossiping chuunin. “Did you hear? Danzo-sama got really upset during the last meeting with Hokage-sama and the Council.” One had said in a hushed voice.</p><p>            “No, what happened?” The other asked surprised.</p><p>            “Apparently, he was proposing to move the Uchiha even further outside of the village. But Hokage-sama told him that wasn’t a good idea.” The first one said, eagerly. “And the Council agreed with him!”</p><p>            “Oh, Danzo-sama must be pissed.” The second one snickered. Naruto hurried off before they noticed him. So, Danzo was trying to move the Uchiha further away. That would only cause a bigger rift between the clan and the rest of the village. Naruto frowned. It’s a good thing the old man shut him down. That would’ve made Naruto’s job that much harder. Naruto spent the rest of the morning and up until the late afternoon gathering information. His guards had switched out already and Naruto was now making his way back to his make-shift home in the forest. He was hungry and that meant he had to fish for his food. He should’ve thought to do it earlier when he had more sunlight, but he was focused on gathering information. By the time the sun had set, and it was well on its way to night time, Naruto managed to catch two fish and cook them. He wondered what Kakashi had said to his new guards before he left. Oh well. Naruto did his best to make it seem like he hadn’t changed; at least visibly. He ate his dinner and contemplated on whether he should try to sleep or not. He knew his dreams were going to be plagued by nightmares, but he supposed it was better to some sleep, rather than no sleep.</p><p>            With that, Naruto crawled into his make shift bed and tried to sleep. Sleep evaded him for several hours and then he was fighting his eye lids, to which he lost the fight. Soon, he was having nightmares of Hinata, Boruto, and Himawari being tortured and killed in front of him. The kids were killed first and they both tried to fight back, but nothing Naruto and Hinata said or did helped them. Eventually, it got to the point of where Madara just got annoyed with them both and slit their throats. Naruto was forced to watch the life leave their bodies and the light in their eyes go out. Hinata lasted much longer than the kids and at this point, Naruto was already begging for Madara and Sasuke to release his family and take him instead. Of course, that didn’t work out. They had to torture him first. Naruto managed to break free several times due to bouts of anger and rage. But Sasuke always managed to force him down again and watch as Madara raped his wife several times until she broke and then killing her slowly and painfully. That’s what made Naruto force himself back into his mind. Kurama had taken over to get them out of there. Kakashi found them like that several days later.</p><p>            Naruto woke to the sun shining in his face. He managed to get an hour’s worth of sleep and he was feeling it. Not getting enough sleep was taking a toll on his three-year-old body already. That wasn’t good. Naruto thought as he took a bath in the river and then turned around to do some fishing for his breakfast while his clothes (which he managed to get most of the gunk out of them) hung to dry. After his breakfast, his clothes were dry enough to put back on. He heard someone approaching him and he froze. “Naruto-kun? Is that you?” It was the old man. Naruto relaxed some.</p><p>            “Jiji...” Naruto greeted him with a smile. He wasn’t expecting to meet him so soon.          </p><p>            “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” The old man asked him.</p><p>            “Some kids have been giving me trouble.” Naruto admitted. “They trashed my apartment, Jiji.”</p><p>            “I see.” The old man said thoughtfully. “I’ll have to speak with them. So, you’ve been staying out here?”</p><p>            “Yes. I like it out here.” Naruto said smiling.</p><p>            “I’ve heard you’ve been walking around the village and stopping every once in a while, to look around.” Jiji said, sounding concerned.</p><p>            “I’m just trying to avoid those kids.” Naruto said shrugging.</p><p>            “Okay. I was just checking to make sure you were okay.” Jiji said smiling at him. “Oh, and here’s your weekly allowance.”</p><p>            “Thank you, Jiji!” Naruto said as brightly as he could.</p><p>            “You’re welcome.” Jiji said chuckling. He patted Naruto gently on the head before giving him the money. He was going to save up his money for better gear while the rest goes to food and whatever essentials he needed. “Instead of staying out here, why don’t you stay with Shikaku Nara-sama and his family? Shikaku-sama said he wouldn’t mind taking you in, if you’re up to it?” This had never happened before. Naruto thought surprised. He scrunched up his nose, as he would’ve done at the age of three.</p><p>            “Who’s that?” Naruto asked tilting his head to the side.</p><p>            “Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know him yet.” Jiji said smiling. “He’s the Jōnin Commander and he has a son who is around your age. They’re a very trustworthy family.”</p><p>            “They won’t... they won’t get mad if I play with him?” Naruto asked worriedly. He was always worried about that at a young age. Several kids would play with him without knowing that their parents didn’t want anything to do with him. And then the next day, the kids wouldn’t want anything to do with him either. It had hurt him a lot and that’s what made him so distrustful of adults and kids alike. If not for that, Naruto felt like he’d been friends with Shikamaru a lot sooner than before. So, Jiji couldn’t blame him for asking.</p><p>            “No.” Jiji said surprised. Guilt passed through his eyes before he smiled. “Of course, not. Shikaku-sama, his wife Yoshino-san, and his son Shikamaru-kun are very nice people.”</p><p>            “I hope so.” Naruto mumbled.</p><p>            “If you have any problems, you can always come to me.” Jiji told him.</p><p>            “But you’re always busy...” Naruto pointed out.</p><p>            “Okay, how about this. I’ll come visit once a week to check on things. And if you want, we can have a private chat and you can tell me if anything happens.”  Jiji suggested. This whole thing could be a problem later on down the road, but it would be nice to have a place to sleep and have food to eat without having to worry about those kids or anyone else trying to make his life harder. Also, it might help him meet Sasuke sooner too. Naruto still harbored bad feelings towards Sasuke, but he could at least try to stop the Uchiha Massacre for Itachi’s sake at least.</p><p>            “Okay.” Naruto said after much deliberation. He wasn’t sure how to interact with Shikamaru at this age, but he was going to try. He was sure that even though Shikamaru was smart at this age, there still weren’t a lot of things he knew. He had to keep that in mind. Naruto also had to keep in mind that HE shouldn’t know the things he does know; especially as a three-year-old.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So.... x.x I may or may not have deviated from the original story... a lot. I mean, the plot is still the same, but the premise is different? I take that back, I may have changed the plot a teensy tiny bit. But I hope that doesn't take anything away from the story for anyone :x I mean, would that upset anyone if Naruto stayed with the Naras? I hope not. And I promise I'll work on who he talks to about his situation and the difficulty (?) he has making that person believe him. Also, I feel like if he started way before the Uchiha Massacre, he'd have time to build better relationships with the others. Because like I've said, I want them to all have a better relationship with each other. And it won't seem like it comes out of no where; hopefully T_T</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto 'meets' the Naras and those pesky kids manage to cause trouble for Naruto even though he's inside someone else' home. Also, Shikamaru is as awkward as ever!</p><p>Naruto and Shikamaru bonding time, babyyyy!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Naruto wasn’t sure what he was going to do once he got to the Jōnin Commander’s home. What did he do that made a change this drastic already? Was it because he accidentally set off Kakashi and the other ANBU guard yesterday? Whatever the reason, Naruto wasn’t really sure where to go from here. ‘We’ll have to be careful.’ Kurama told him.</p><p>            ‘How are you holding up, Kurama? I forgot to ask.’ Naruto asked him.</p><p>            ‘I’m not the one with a traumatized brain.’ Kurama said snorting.</p><p>            ‘Good point.’ Naruto said mentally chuckling.</p><p>            “We’re here.” Jiji said pulling Naruto out of his thoughts. Naruto looked around at the familiar Nara Estate. He’d spent a lot of time there before he became Hokage. It was when Boruto was still a toddler. He enjoyed playing with Shikadai out in the back garden. The two kids would play ‘chase the shadow’ whenever Shikamaru happened to have that day off. He thought maybe Shikamaru told him that his dad used to do that for him, Ino, and Chōji when they were that age. Naruto followed the old man up the walk way and tried waiting impatiently like he would’ve done at that age as Jiji rang the doorbell. Naruto wasn’t sure he could handle this. He thought as he heard footsteps approaching the door. What if he has a mental break down in the middle of the entrance just because he saw Shikaku-san and his family?</p><p>            ‘Calm down, Kit. You’re going to hyperventilate.’ Kurama told him. Naruto could feel small tendrils of chakra, which Naruto thought maybe was Kurama’s tails, envelope his mind and it was comforting. Naruto calmed down almost immediately. He was still anxious about seeing the Nara’s alive and well. There wasn’t anything Naruto could’ve done to save any of his people. It made him feel powerless. ‘Stop thinking about that for right now. Wait until you’re alone.’ Naruto got himself together just as Yoshino-san opened the door.</p><p>            “Oh, Hokage-sama. It’s good to see you. Come in!” She said smiling at him. “And this must be Naruto-kun.” She smiled down at Naruto, which threw Naruto off. He knew it shouldn’t because she’d always been nice to him. But he supposed that was good for three-year-old Naruto since no one was ever really nice to three-year-old Naruto. They treated him like a monster; like he didn’t belong there. He always wondered what would’ve happened if he just up and left the village after deciding he didn’t want to be treated like a monster by them anymore. ‘Don’t do that, Kit. You’ll only make our job harder.’ Kurama said, and Naruto could hear the scowl in his voice.</p><p>            ‘Don’t worry, Kurama. I won’t.’ Naruto said mentally chuckling.</p><p>            “My name is Yoshino.” She said when Naruto didn’t reply to her.</p><p>            “Hi.” Naruto said smiling shyly at her. She moved over and let Jiji and Naruto into the house.</p><p>            “Shikaku and Shikamaru are out in the back garden. They’ve been playing shogi all morning.” Yoshino-san said shaking her head. They entered the back garden and both pineapple heads were sitting under a large tree playing shogi. “Shikaku, Hokage-sama and Naruto-kun are here.”</p><p>            “Oh,” Shikaku-san said in surprise. “I’m sorry Shikamaru. We’ll have to continue this game later.”</p><p>            “Fine...” Shikamaru grumbled. Naruto had to keep himself from smiling. That was such a Shikamaru thing to do. He always hated being interrupted during a game of Shogi.</p><p>            “Is this a bad time, Shikaku?” Jiji asked him amused.</p><p>            “No. I just wasn’t expecting you so soon.” Shikaku-san said smiling sheepishly. It was strange to see the man like that to Naruto. Every time he had to talk to Shikaku-san, it was usually because the situation was dire. So, the Jōnin Commander always had a serious look on his face. Naruto had a feeling he’d be seeing the more relaxed version of Shikaku-san more often this time around. He was glad because he felt bad that he only got to see Shikaku-san when it was during a terrible time. Naruto immediately felt Shikamaru’s gaze and it seemed the pineapple head was curious about him. “Shikamaru, from today on, Naruto-kun will be staying with us.” Shikamaru didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Naruto looked down at the ground. Maybe he was too hopeful in believing that he and Shikamaru could be friends a lot sooner than before.</p><p>            “Do you know how to play Shogi?” Shikamaru said surprising everyone. Naruto looked at him and shook his head. “Dad, can we teach him?”</p><p>            “Of course.” Shikaku-san said chuckling. “But you need to remember, not everyone enjoys Shogi as much as you do.” Shikamaru nodded. Naruto smiled. He was glad that Shikamaru was willing to give him a chance. He needed to figure how he was going to approach the Uchiha, but he supposed it was fine to leave it for tomorrow. Naruto had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to make plans with Kurama the rest of the day. Shikamaru had found someone new to figure out and wouldn’t rest until he succeeded.</p><p>            “I’ll go prepare your room.” Yoshino-san said smiling before going back into the house. Naruto was struggling not to just start crying as Shikamaru grabbed his hand and led him over to the shogi board. Shikaku-san and Jiji stepped away to have a private conversation. Naruto listened intently as Shikamaru told him the names of all the pieces. Naruto already knew the names, though. His Shikamaru had already taught him how to play shogi. Naruto was crap at it, but apparently, he was a better player than any of the other jōnin he roped into playing him. Naruto suddenly heard a bunch of yelling. He frowned and rushed to the front where the shouting was more distinct. The garden wall stopped him from going any further, but there was a small crack that Naruto could see through. Shikamaru followed after him.</p><p>            “We know that monster is in there!” The voice was from a kid. It’s those kids!</p><p>            “Yeah, make him come out!” Another kid yelled. The rest of the group shouted out their agreement.</p><p>            “What’s going on out here?” Shikaku-san said as he stepped outside.</p><p>            “We want that monster!” The first kid yelled. Shikamaru grabbed Naruto’s shoulder and squeezed it. Naruto looked at him in surprise.</p><p>            “Let my dad take care of those kids.” Shikamaru told him and Naruto actually cried this time. “Come on.” Shikamaru led him back to the shogi board. He awkwardly patted Naruto’s back and Naruto wanted to laugh. It was such a Shikamaru thing to do. Naruto finally calmed himself down and wiped his tears away with his shirt. “You’re not a monster, Naruto. Those kids are just being jerks.”</p><p>            “T-Thanks...” Naruto said sniffling. Yoshino-san came back out into the garden looking worried.</p><p>            “Naruto-kun, are you okay?” She asked bending down to his level. Naruto nodded. She hesitated a little before hugging him. Naruto froze in surprise. He wasn’t used to being hugged by a mother figure. He had plenty of hugs from Tsunade Baa-chan, but that was different. She was more like a grandmother, which he never told her because he was afraid for his life. She was very touchy about her age. Shikaku-san and Jiji came back after a few more minutes; both had frowns on their faces.</p><p>            “Naruto-kun, were those the kids that have been giving you trouble?” Jiji asked him.</p><p>            “Yeah.” Naruto said nodding.</p><p>            “I’ll get in touch with their parents then.” Jiji said thoughtfully.</p><p>            “Lunch is about ready. Hokage-sama, will you be joining us?” Yoshino-san asked him.</p><p>            “Oh, you know I’d love to, Yoshino-san. But I have to get back to work.” Jiji said chuckling. “The paperwork doesn’t do itself no matter how many times I will it to.”</p><p>            “Don’t be a stranger and come visit Naruto-kun as often as you can.” Yoshino-san said smiling at him.</p><p>            “Of course. Naruto-kun, remember what I told you earlier, okay?” Jiji said to Naruto.</p><p>            “Okay.” Naruto said, and he watched Jiji leave the Nara Estate.</p><p>            “Boys, go get cleaned up.” Yoshino-san said turning to Naruto and Shikamaru.</p><p>            “Okay, Mom.” Shikamaru told her. He looked at Naruto and said, “Follow me.” Naruto nodded and followed him as he led Naruto back into the house. “How long have those kids been giving you problems?” Naruto was a bit surprised by the question. How long had it been?</p><p>            “A few months or so....” Naruto answered not entirely sure. One day they just showed up and started giving him trouble and he couldn’t really remember a time when they didn’t. They didn’t stop, even throughout his years spent in the academy. They weren’t as terrible to him during those years, but they still gave him trouble. “They just showed up and started to randomly do all kinds of mean things.”</p><p>            “And you didn’t say anything sooner?” Shikamaru asked him, his eyes wide.</p><p>            “Well, I don’t really have anyone to tell.” Naruto said feeling awkward. He hadn’t admitted any of this stuff to his friends before. Well, they never really asked, and it never came up, so Naruto supposed that was the reason. “And I don’t want to bother Jiji because I know how busy he is.”</p><p>            “Well, that’s stupid.” Shikamaru said frowning.</p><p>            “How do you mean?” Naruto asked him.</p><p>            “It’s stupid that old man Hokage hasn’t tried harder to make sure you’re okay.” Shikamaru said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I mean, you’re my age and you were living on your own. Where did you go when those kids wouldn’t leave you alone?”</p><p>            “Well, they pretty much chased me out of my apartment... So, I’ve been hiding out in the forest.” Naruto answered shrugging. He was happy that Shikamaru thought so much of him already after only having just met.</p><p>            “You must’ve been pretty lonely.” Shikamaru said softly after a few minutes of silence. They had just reached the bathroom and started washing their hands and faces.</p><p>            “I’m used it to it.” Naruto said shrugging. He wasn’t ready to admit that he was lonely out loud. He didn’t want to burden his friend who is only a few months older than him. Shikamaru just frowned in thought and there was silence between the two of them as they made their way back to kitchen. Yoshino-san had lunch set out on the table and Shikaku-san was sitting there looking at some documents, the file sitting on the table not too far away.</p><p>            “No work at the table.” Yoshino-san said scowling at him.</p><p>            “Sorry, sorry.” Shikaku-san said smiling sheepishly as he put the documents in the folder and storing it into what seemed to be a simple storage seal. “Is everything okay, boys?” Shikaku-san seemed to have noticed the somber atmosphere between Naruto and Shikamaru.</p><p>            “Yeah.” Shikamaru answered as he took a seat at the table. Naruto sat down next to him. “Did you know Naruto has been sleeping in the forest up ‘til now?”</p><p>            “Oh my.” Yoshino-san said in surprise. “What did you do for food?”</p><p>            “Jiji taught me how to fish one time.” Naruto answered her with a smile. “I like fishing and camping out in the forest.”</p><p>            “You didn’t have any trouble with any wild animals?” Shikaku-san asked curiously.</p><p>            “No. But I think the shadows have something to do with that.” Naruto answered absentmindedly as he looked at the food in front of him. He’d been eating nothing but fish for the past few months in this timeline and he hadn’t eaten anything at all in the old timeline, so the food in front of him looked amazing. He didn’t mis the surprised look that Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san shared. “Ittadakimasu!” Naruto took a bite of the food and nearly melted at how good it tasted. Home cooked meals definitely tasted better. Naruto couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a home cooked meal by Hinata. The thought nearly made him lose his appetite. He’ll have to deal with the emotions he’s been trying to keep a lid on all day later tonight. Hopefully, he won’t wake anyone up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry this took so long for me to write. I honestly struggled with figuring out where to go with this now that I've decided to make things harder for myself than they need to be. So, hopefully, this chapter didn't seem like a waste :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I made a change to the prologue. It's mainly the same thing, but I went and added a few things :3 So, if you don't mind going back and reading it, then feel free to. If you don't want to, that's fine. You'll find out later on :P</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Over the next few weeks, Naruto finds himself distancing himself from the Nara family. He didn’t feel like he belonged there, and, in a sense, he felt like a burden to them. Ever since he arrived, kids and adults alike have been coming to the house and harassing them. He came here to fix the future, but it seems by coming back, he’s made things worse for everyone around him. Shikamaru, poor kid, was trying his hardest to include Naruto into everything he did. And Naruto appreciated it, he really did. This was one of the reasons why Naruto liked Shikamaru so much. Shikamaru, once he found out, always did his best to cheer you up and make sure you felt like you belonged. Even though Shikamaru put so much effort into involving Naruto in everything, Naruto still felt like he didn’t belong there. And he didn’t; he really didn’t. He was a time traveler and he didn’t belong here. Naruto had his chance to go out and gather more information one day when Shikamaru had to do some training with Chōji and Ino over with Ino’s dad. Shikaku-san had to work, and Yoshino-san was busy consoling another clan member, who seemed to be upset over something. So, Naruto took the chance to sneak out for a few hours since he knew she’d be busy.</p><p>            He didn’t feel his usual amount of shadows, but there was one; Kakashi. Naruto knew he was probably making the copycat ninja more curious by sneaking out like this, but he had to. He’ll have to be vigilant, too, and watch out for any villagers who decide to mess with him. Ugh, moving around at this age now is harder than he remembered. Yeah, he went through some shit when he was this age, but it seemed worse this time around. ‘Be careful, Kit. There’s some brats coming your way.’ Kurama warned him.</p><p>            ‘Thanks, Kurama.’ Naruto told him appreciatively. If he wasn’t so young, he’d jump to the rooftops to avoid them. So, instead, Naruto ducked into an alleyway, hoping they didn’t notice him. The kids stopped in front of the alleyway, looking around confusedly. “Where did he go?” One of them asked frowning.</p><p>            “I don’t know. I saw him coming this way.” Another kid said, grimacing as the others glared at him.</p><p>            “Whatever, let’s go.” A third one said sighing. Soon, the kids moved on and Naruto waited a good ten minutes before leaving the alleyway. He didn’t see them in sight and sighed in relief. Naruto decided to go to his old apartment. He was going to scavenge it and see if he can find anything useful. He didn’t think so, but it didn’t hurt to check. Also, he could pass by where Sasuke likes to spend time when Itachi is busy with school or his ANBU work. Sasuke was there and it looked like he was watching clouds. Naruto thought about going over and introducing himself, but he could feel the presence of Itachi coming towards Sasuke. So, Naruto moved on. Naruto had an idea of how protective Itachi was of his little brother and he wasn’t sure how he viewed Naruto at this time. Naruto didn’t want Itachi to think of him as a monster, but if he felt that way, then there wasn’t anything he could do about that right now.</p><p>            Itachi actually came from the direction Naruto was going in and nodded at Naruto. Naruto looked at him surprised before giving him a sheepish smile. He continued walking though because he was pretty sure that meant that Naruto shouldn’t go anywhere near Sasuke. It hurt that Itachi, the most devoted guy to Konoha and Sasuke, didn’t want Naruto anywhere near his family. Naruto thought if he could bond a little with Itachi, then Itachi won’t want to kill off his clan. Or at the very least, go to Jiji about it before blindly following Danzo’s orders. Just as Naruto passed Itachi, though, he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the elder Uchiha in surprise. “C-Can I help you?” Naruto asked, feeling nervous. He wasn’t expecting this at all.</p><p>            “I thought you were staying with Shikaku-sama and his family.” Itachi told him bluntly.</p><p>            “Yeah, I am. But, uh, who are you?” Naruto asked him, frowning. He didn’t want the elder Uchiha to know that he already knew who he was.</p><p>            “I am Itachi Uchiha and that boy you were looking at just now is my brother, Sasuke.” Itachi introduced. Naruto knew that this wasn’t supposed to be a pleasant chat. Itachi was definitely acting cold towards him.</p><p>            “Oh. Nice to meet you, I guess.” Naruto said awkwardly. “I-I have to go. Could you please let go of me?”</p><p>            “Yes, of course.” Itachi said letting go of Naruto’s shoulder. “You should stop by the Uchiha compound sometime.”</p><p>            “Eh?” Naruto said surprised. Was he hearing him, right?</p><p>            “I think you and Sasuke will get along.” Itachi said with a warm smile on his face. Naruto only saw that smile when Itachi was referring to Sasuke. And that happened one time.</p><p>            “Are you sure...?” Naruto asked frowning again. “Everyone thinks I’m a monster for some reason...”</p><p>            “I’m very sure.” Itachi said resolutely.</p><p>            “Okay...” Naruto said, the feeling of hurt he had earlier melting away. Itachi was so kind. Why had Naruto never noticed that before? It was probably because Itachi had spent a lot of time chasing after him and nearly killed him a few times. “Oh, um, my name is Naruto Uzumaki.”</p><p>            “It’s nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. I’ll ask my mother to set up a date and time with Yoshino-san.” Itachi said thoughtfully. He seemed relieved that I agreed to go. “I’m hoping during that time my father is working.” Naruto hoped so, too. Fugaku Uchiha didn’t like Naruto at all. Naruto only had a few run-ins with the man when he was this age and they never ended well for Naruto. He could only imagine how much worse it would be now. “You should hear something within the next couple of days.”</p><p>            “Okay.” Naruto said nodding.</p><p>            “I must go to my brother now.” Itachi said, looking over at Sasuke. Sasuke was now staring at the two of them.</p><p>            “Right. Talk to you later, I suppose.” Naruto said giving him a hesitant smile.</p><p>            “Yes.” Itachi said before walking over to Sasuke. Naruto hadn’t realized how mature Itachi was at this age. Naruto thought he was almost 8 by now. So, that meant he was in school right now. Naruto knew for a fact that he was going to graduate as a top genin and go onto being in the ANBU when Naruto and Sasuke finally started at the academy. Naruto thought as he continued walking to his apartment. Naruto hoped he was able to avoid the Uchiha Massacre. At his apartment, he noticed that the door was barely hanging on its hinges. Naruto rolled his eyes and went inside. As he suspected, the whole place was a mess. Everything was broken, and the smell of rotten food filled his nose. Naruto grimaced and made his way to his bedroom. It strongly smelled of pee and dried vomit for some reason. The pee he could understand, because he was pretty sure the kids peed on his stuff. He just didn’t know where the vomit came from. Naruto went into his closet and didn’t find anything useful whatsoever. He could’ve sworn he had some books in here when he moved here at first. Did he throw them out? Or did those kids take and destroy them? Either option could’ve happened.</p><p>            Frustrated, Naruto sighed. Well, coming here wasn’t a complete waste. He decided as he left the apartment. He didn’t look back at it either. He at least got to meet Itachi and plans to meet Sasuke were going to be made. That helped Naruto a lot. Now it won’t be so weird if Naruto went to the Uchiha compound. The only thing Naruto was worried about was the reactions of the other Uchiha there. They were blamed for Kurama attacking the village by Danzo and were pretty much exiled from the village because of Danzo. Well, an Uchiha did attack the village, but that Uchiha is supposedly dead right now. Naruto wished there was some way to save Obito from himself this early on, but he knew that was impossible. He just wanted to do right by Kakashi. Speaking of Kakashi, he’d been paying more attention to Naruto since Naruto’s encounter with Itachi. Kakashi was definitely curious about Naruto and possibly Itachi? Naruto was curious about Itachi, too. He didn’t know Itachi before the massacre that well, but to Naruto, Itachi was acting a little out of character. He didn’t know if that was how Itachi had always been or if it was new behavior, but it made Naruto feel unsettled for some reason.</p><p>            Naruto made it back to the Nara estate without incident. He found Yoshino-san looking around in the living room. “Yoshino-san, what are you looking for?” Naruto asked her curiously. She turned around in surprised and then heaved a sigh of relief.</p><p>            “Where have you been, Naruto-kun? I’ve been searching for you everywhere!” She said scowling at him.</p><p>            “O-Oh... I’m sorry, Yoshino-san.” Naruto said feeling guilty for worrying the woman. “I just went out for a walk around the village, I promise.”</p><p>            “Let me know next time, okay?” She said, smiling.</p><p>            “Okay, I will.” Naruto said nodding.</p><p>            “Good. It’s about lunch time, do you want to eat now?” She asked him.</p><p>            “Yes!” Naruto said brightly. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, which is normal. But Naruto didn’t eat as much as he wanted because he was trying to be respectful of Shikamaru, Shikaku-san, and Yoshino-san. She chuckled.</p><p>            “Go wash up then. I’ll have it ready in thirty minutes.” She told him.</p><p>            “Okay!” Naruto said before finding the bathroom. He still felt like a burden, but he couldn’t say no to food.</p><p>            ‘I’m surprised those Uchiha bastards didn’t think of that.’ Kurama said snorting.</p><p>            ‘Don’t even say that, Kurama.’ Naruto said with a shudder. ‘Besides, I wouldn’t have surrendered myself even if they dangled food in front of me.’</p><p>            ‘You keep telling yourself that, Kit.’ Kurama said, rolling his eyes. Naruto pouted.</p><p>            ‘I’m not that bad.’ Naruto said with a sigh. ‘I can imagine that happening to Chōji though.’ Kurama snorted but didn’t say anything. Naruto went to his room to wait for lunch. He didn’t have much to do here, not that he had much to do when he was out in the forest or at his apartment. But it felt different since he’s in someone else’s house. This house will never feel truly like his home, Naruto thought. At least for as long as he still felt like a burden and that he didn’t belong here.</p><p>            Later that night, Shikaku-san and Shikamaru had come home an hour ago and Yoshino-san was just finishing up dinner. Shikaku-san was asking Shikamaru about his training, to which Shikamaru acted as if it was so troublesome. But to Naruto’s trained eye, he could tell Shikamaru enjoyed it a lot. “What did you do today, Naruto-kun?” Shikaku-san asked him.</p><p>            “Mm, not much. I went for a walk though,” Naruto said shrugging.</p><p>            “You didn’t have any trouble, did you?” Shikamaru asked him worriedly.</p><p>            “No. I avoided those kids.” Naruto answered, feeling happy that Shikamaru cared for his well-being. “I met someone today though.”</p><p>            “Oh, what’s their name?” Shikaku-san asked curiously.</p><p>            “He said his name is Itachi Uchiha. He invited me over to his home.” Naruto told them, deciding it would be better to bring it up himself. “He said his brother, Sasuke, and I would get a long well.” Naruto rambled on when neither of the Naras said anything. “Can I?”</p><p>            “Let me talk to Mikoto-san first, Naruto-kun.” Yoshino-san said smiling. “I’m sure we can arrange something.”</p><p>            “Okay!” Naruto said excitedly. He was ready to get things started. Plus, he was getting bored with nothing to do. He was the kind of person who preferred taking action over waiting, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Not with how delicate the situation was. So, he was starting to feel antsy and that wasn’t a good thing. Maybe now that he can meet Sasuke, he’ll be able to focus all his energy on bonding with him, Itachi, and the rest of the Rookie 9. He, of course, still had bad feelings about what Sasuke had done, but he wasn’t going to hold that over this Sasuke’s head. Naruto just hoped that once he does get close to Sasuke, that Sasuke won’t betray him a third time. He didn’t know what he’d do if that happened again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Several days go by and Naruto is on his way to the Uchiha compound. Yoshino-san got with Itachi’s mom and made arrangements for Naruto to visit them. Itachi was waiting for him at the entrance. There were two guards at either side of the entrance and Itachi was waiting a little way away from the entrance. “Naruto-kun, it’s good to see you made it without any trouble.” Itachi said with a half-smile.</p><p>            “Yes.” Naruto said, feeling nervous.</p><p>            “My father is at work right now, so you don’t have to worry about him.” Itachi assured him.</p><p>            “How did you know I was worried about him?” Naruto asked him surprised.</p><p>            “Because I’ve witnessed how he speaks about you and he mentioned a time when he ran into you.” Itachi explained as he led Naruto into the compound.</p><p>            “Oh.” Naruto mumbled. He honestly didn’t remember what happened between him and Sasuke’s dad. He just knew Fugaku Uchiha didn’t like him and treated him awfully. “That’s good...”</p><p>            “Did I bring up bad memories?” Itachi asked, surprising Naruto.</p><p>            “Uh, not really...” Naruto said, not really sure how he should act around Itachi. He was sure his actual three-year-old self wouldn’t know how to act around him either.</p><p>            “I’m glad. Come this way.” Itachi said leading him to a specific home. Naruto noticed a lot of Uchiha members walking around and heard kids running and laughing. It was really different and something Naruto wasn’t used to seeing in this area. Hopefully, Naruto will be able to preserve all this and in return put a stop to the future he’d left.</p><p>            “Itachi-san?” Naruto said thoughtfully.</p><p>            “Yes, Naruto-kun?” Itachi said looking at him.</p><p>            “Why do you think your brother and I will get along?” Naruto asked him. “I’ve never had anyone to... play with or talk to... so, how am I supposed to know if I’m doing and saying the right thing?”</p><p>            “Hm...” Itachi said thoughtfully. “I’m not really sure myself. I only know that Sasuke is very curious about who you are. Especially after we met the other day.”</p><p>            “Oh.” Naruto said not expecting that. Naruto, at this point in time, hadn’t met Sasuke yet. He didn’t start actually talking to Sasuke until after the Uchiha were massacred. He’d only seen Sasuke from afar and couldn’t work up the courage to talk to him. Naruto was afraid Sasuke would be like the other kids. They’d play with him one day and have a lot of fun, but then the next day, they’d treat him like crap and do their best to avoid him. Also, now that Naruto had a chance to change the future, he still wasn’t exactly sure how to act around Sasuke. Not after what Sasuke had done to him. Yes, that was a different version of Sasuke, but he was still Sasuke.</p><p>            “I’m home!” Itachi called out as the two of them entered the home.</p><p>            “Welcome back! Is Naruto-kun with you?” A woman asked as she peeked around the corner. She must be Mikoto-san, Naruto thought as he took his shoes off.</p><p>            “Yes,” Naruto answered her with a hesitant smile.</p><p>            “Welcome, Naruto-kun.” She said with a big smile. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Itachi’s and Sasuke’s mom, Mikoto.”</p><p>            “It’s nice to meet you, Mikoto-san.” Naruto greeted her shyly. He knew Mikoto-san and his mom were best friends. So, he hoped he would be able to hear some stories about his mom from Mikoto-san.</p><p>            “Have you had lunch yet?” She asked him. Naruto shook his head. “Good, it’s almost ready! Sasuke is waiting in the kitchen if you’ll join us.”</p><p>            “Okay!” Naruto said eagerly. She chuckled and led the way into the kitchen. Sasuke was sitting at the table and it looked like he was drawing on some paper with crayons. “Hi, I’m Naruto.” Naruto greeted him. Sasuke looked up at him surprised.</p><p>            “I’m Sasuke! Want to join me?” Sasuke asked him, his eyes wide with excitement. Naruto smiled.</p><p>            “Sure!” Naruto said sitting down next to him. Sasuke handed him a piece of paper and sat the crayon box in between them. “What are you drawing?”</p><p>            “My family!” Sasuke said happily. He showed Naruto what he’d drawn so far. “This is Mother, Father, and Nii-san!” It wasn’t anything too impressive. It was kind of like the pictures Himawari had drawn him when she was this age. Naruto nearly teared up at that, but he managed to keep it under control for now. “What are you going to draw?”</p><p>            “Hm... I’m not sure yet...” Naruto said thoughtfully. Naruto looked at the blank paper in front of him and figured the best way was to just start doodling. Naruto picked a random color and started drawing. He eventually found himself drawing his clan’s symbol. He was thinking of his parents and Hinata and the kids. He missed his family, but he couldn’t bring himself to try and draw them. It sucked, because he’s lost his family twice now.</p><p>            “Are you okay, Naruto-kun?” Mikoto-san asked him in concern. Naruto realized he was crying and rubbed the tears away with his shirt.</p><p>            “Y-Yeah,” Naruto said feeling slightly embarrassed. He hadn’t meant to get so emotional over a drawing. She smiled.</p><p>            “You know, Naruto-kun, your mom was my best friend.” Mikoto-san said as she sat the food on the tables.</p><p>            “She was?” Naruto asked, curiously.</p><p>            “Yes. I had just had Sasuke when she was about to give birth you.” Mikoto-san said with a warm smile. “She was so nervous, but she was happy.”</p><p>            “What kind of person was she?” Naruto asked her.</p><p>            “Hm... she was definitely full of life. She was loud, had a big heart, and enjoyed pranking your father.” Mikoto-san said chuckling. “She had a wild personality, but she was always kind.”</p><p>            “She liked to prank others?” Naruto asked her surprised.</p><p>            “Yes,” Mikoto-san said letting out a giggle. “She used to prank her classmates and would tell me all about it afterwards. She was so proud of herself too.”</p><p>            “Thank you for telling me about her.” Naruto said gratefully.</p><p>            “You’re welcome, Naruto-kun.” She said smiling. “Sasuke, put that stuff away. It’s time to eat.”</p><p>            “Yes, Mother.” Sasuke said before scooping up the crayons and paper. Naruto folded up his drawing and put it in his pocket. Sasuke took the stuff into the other room.</p><p>            “Ne, Mikoto-san?” Naruto asked her.</p><p>            “Yes, Naruto-kun?” She said looking at him.</p><p>            “What is my mom’s name?” Naruto asked her. He wondered if she would actually tell him.</p><p>            “Her name was Kushina Uzumaki.” Mikoto-san said with a big smile. “She was amazing.”</p><p>            “She sounds amazing.” Naruto said sadly. Mikoto-san ruffled his hair, surprising him.</p><p>            “If you ever want to know more about her, you can always ask me, Naruto-kun.” She said, warmly.</p><p>            “Thank you, Mikoto-san.” Naruto said sniffling.</p><p>            “You’re very welcome.” She said wiping the tears that managed to escape with her thumb. Sasuke came back with Itachi and the two sat down at the table.</p><p>            “Are you okay, Naruto-kun?” Itachi asked me.</p><p>            “Yes,” Naruto said smiling. Itachi nodded and Sasuke began telling Naruto about how awesome his brother is. Naruto almost forgot how obsessive Sasuke was with Itachi and vice versa. It was a nice change for once. Sasuke actually looked happy and Naruto hadn’t seen him this happy since the day Sarada was born. Of course, his happiness was a bit contained but Naruto knew. After lunch, Sasuke practically dragged Naruto out to the back yard where they played ninja and made up attacks. Naruto forgot how fun it was to make up attacks and pretend to be taken down by them as a kid. With his knowledge of the real ninja world, Naruto wasn’t going to spoil it for Sasuke. So, you can very well believe Naruto did his best to act as childish as he could, and he enjoyed every moment of it. Around four o’clock, it was time for Naruto to go back to the Nara Estate.</p><p>            “You can come back any time, Naruto-kun.” Mikoto-san said as he was getting his sandals on.</p><p>            “Okay!” Naruto said happily. Itachi and Sasuke escorted him out of the front gates. The adult members of the Uchiha would glare at him sometimes and Itachi surprisingly shielded him away from them. It was nice, Naruto thought. He really hoped he was able to save the Uchiha from their terrible fate.</p><p>            “You should come back soon, so we can draw some more!” Sasuke said energetically.</p><p>            “Okay! I’ll talk with Yoshino-san about it and maybe we can invite Shikamaru!” Naruto said grinning. He knew for a fact the pineapple head wouldn’t want to play ninja at all, but he knew Shikamaru would try his best to get along with Sasuke.</p><p>            “Sounds like fun.” Itachi said chuckling. “Be safe going home.”</p><p>            “I will!” Naruto said beaming at him. Then Naruto waved at them before taking off. As he walked back through the village, he was being glared at by all the villagers he had passed so far. He had so much fun playing with Sasuke, that he momentarily forgot about this. How stupid of him. Naruto berated himself.</p><p>            <em>You’re not stupid, Kit.</em> Kurama said, dismissively. <em>It’s okay to enjoy yourself, don’t forget that.</em></p><p>            <em>Okay...</em> Naruto replied as he ducked into an alleyway. Kakashi was following him again and it was comforting to know that he was there. Naruto nearly ran into the kids he’d been avoiding since he arrived in this timeline. He needed to be more vigilant. Luckily for him, those kids weren’t paying any attention either as they passed by the alleyway, talking loudly about some other poor kid they found to terrorize. Naruto took off again once he was clear of them and made it to the Nara Estate without any incidents.</p><p>            “Naruto-kun, welcome back!” Yoshino-san said as he got into the entrance.</p><p>            “I’m back.” Naruto said shyly. He still didn’t feel like this house would ever be his home.</p><p>            “How did it go at Sasuke-kun’s?” She asked him.</p><p>            “Great! Sasuke and I played ninja in the backyard!” Naruto said excitedly.</p><p>            “It’s good that you found someone to play that game with you. I’m afraid Shikamaru would flat out refuse to play if you asked him.” Yoshino-san said chuckling. Naruto had no doubt in that.</p><p>            “Is it okay for Shikamaru to join us the next time I go over there?” Naruto asked her curiously.</p><p>            “Of course. I’ll have to talk to Mikoto-san about it, but I’m sure she won’t mind.” Yoshino-san said thoughtfully. “Anyway, dinner is almost ready. Shikaku should be coming home soon and Shikamaru just got back from Chōji-kun’s. Go get washed up.”</p><p>            “Yes ma’am!” Naruto said before going straight to the bathroom.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the long wait, but now that I'm re-writing this, I want to take my time on it :3 I don't want it to seem like it's rushed and I hope by going the route I've chosen with this, doesn't throw anyone off who has read the original. I am doing my best so that it sounds cohesive and I know I still have a lot to work on with my writing. But hopefully, this will be good enough for now.</p><p>Also, thanks for all the Kudos :3 I appreciate it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Naruto was slowly meeting the rest of the Rookie 9 and he even got to meet Lee, Neji, and Tenten. They were about to start at the academy and that meant it wasn’t going to be long before Naruto was going to start the academy. Time seems to have gone by so quickly and Naruto hadn’t been able to do much. Kakashi was very relentless and kept an eye on him at all times. Naruto also noticed that it was only Kakashi who was keeping an eye on him and none of the others. So, that told Naruto that the old man called off the others from keeping an eye on him. Occasionally, though, there’s be a ‘shadow’ and Naruto figured that must’ve been someone from ROOT that was following him. Now that he was six, Naruto trained in secret during those rare moments he had to himself. He trained by doing katas and kunai/shuriken throwing. Sometimes when Naruto would go and visit with Sasuke, Itachi would offer to teach him how to throw kunai and shuriken. That made Sasuke a bit jealous (as he’s obsessed with Itachi) and so, Itachi would teach him too. Naruto hasn’t gotten to where he was, but if he did get back to where he was ability wise, that would raise a lot of questions.</p><p>            Sasuke ended up challenging Naruto a lot when they worked on kunai throwing, and Naruto enjoyed it. He’d missed the days when he used to challenge Sasuke to everything. Of course, Naruto had more of an advantage over Sasuke now, but that didn’t stop Sasuke from being a freaking genius. Naruto still managed to lose to Sasuke a few times, but it didn’t upset him as much as it would have if Naruto really was six. Naruto also met Sasuke’s and Itachi’s cousin, Shisui. Shisui was clumsy sometimes and a bit of a goofball, and that really threw Naruto off. He had no idea that there were a select few Uchiha who didn’t act, well, like an Uchiha. Shisui was wary of Naruto at first, but it seems Itachi managed to convince him that Naruto wasn’t all that bad. Because the last time Naruto had gone over, Shisui was there and he joked with and teased Naruto the whole time. Naruto felt like he could truly trust Shisui. He also learned that Itachi’s crows were actually Shisui’s crows and that Shisui was the one who had amazing genjutsu. Itachi was still really freaking good at genjutsu, but he wasn’t at the level he was in the old timeline. Somehow, Itachi got Shisui’s eyes and Naruto had a feeling a certain asshole had something to do with it.</p><p>            Naruto still had to figure out what he was going to do about said asshole, but for right now, he needed to worry about Kakashi. Kakashi wasn’t even bothering hiding himself completely and Naruto knew Kakashi wanted him to see him. Naruto was going to confront him, but he needed to figure out how he was going to do that without giving himself away. Kakashi was super smart and Naruto didn’t want to insult his intelligence, but he couldn’t let Kakashi know the truth; especially not about Obito. It would crush him, and Naruto didn’t want to see his friend go through that again. Naruto knew it was going to happen anyway, but he didn’t want to be the one to bare bad news. Although, it would be better than Obito telling him during a fight. Naruto was currently taking a walk around the village. He’d gotten used to the glares again and didn’t bother giving anyone the time of day. Those kids came after him several times, but Naruto kicked their asses the last time they jumped him. They don’t mess with him much anymore. “Naruto!” Naruto turned and saw Ino and Chouji running up to him.</p><p>            “Where’s Shikamaru?” Naruto asked curiously.</p><p>            “He went looking for you.” Ino said sighing. “Anyway, my dad is treating us to barbecue, do you want to come with us?”</p><p>            “Sure!” Naruto said beaming at her.</p><p>            “Great! Let’s go!” Chouji grabbed Naruto by the hand and the three went looking for Shikamaru.</p><p>            “We found him!” Ino said as soon as they found Shikamaru.</p><p>            “Where have you been?” Shikamaru asked curiously.</p><p>            “Oh, I was just going for a walk.” Naruto said shrugging. “I don’t have much else to do.”</p><p>            “You can always hang out with us.” Ino said shaking her head.</p><p>            “I never thought about that.” Naruto said smiling sheepishly. “I’m used to being on my own.”</p><p>            “You’re not on your own anymore!” Chouji said putting an arm around Naruto’s neck and pulling Naruto towards himself.</p><p>            “Yeah, don’t you forget it!” Ino said grinning at him.</p><p>            “I’ll try.” Naruto said honestly. Even when he was Hokage, he’d sometimes go off on his own, momentarily forgetting his friends and family, and then when he’d go home, he’d be surprised to be greeted by Hinata and the kids. It wasn’t like he did it on purpose or that he didn’t care about his friends and family. He was just still getting used to it. Up until he and Hinata started dating, he’d always been alone. So, no one could blame him for acting the way he did. Naruto also didn’t like to bother his friends on his days off in case they were doing something important. He knew he could be really annoying as a kid and whomever was stuck with him for the day always got annoyed with him. Going by that logic, Naruto didn’t want to annoy his friends on their days off too. He spent most of his days off all by himself. He never left his apartment either and he was always so bored. There were times he’d go out and do some training, but he never sought after his friends on those days. Usually, they’d surprise him with a visit or invitation to do whatever they had planned.</p><p>            The four of them met up with Inoichi-san at the barbecue restaurant. “Hey, kids.” He greeted them. He smiled at Naruto. “It’s good to see you Naruto-kun.”</p><p>            “It’s good to see you, too, Inoichi-san.” Naruto said with shy smile. He still felt awkward around the adults. He wasn’t sure why because he knew the adults he could trust, and Inoichi-san was definitely one of them. It could be due to the fact that he’d been betrayed by Sasuke twice and he didn’t easily trust others as much as he used to. These people, they had his friends’ and comrades’ faces, but they were different from the ones he knew. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t easily trust them. Well, he also wasn’t that close to Inoichi-san, Chouza-san, or Shikaku-san. That probably played a part in it, too.</p><p>            “Come on!” Chouji said eagerly and herding Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru into the restaurant. Inoichi-san chuckled and followed them in. They sat down near the window and immediately, a waitress came to their table and handed them menus.</p><p>            “Naruto-kun, I heard some kids have been giving you some trouble.” Inoichi-san said after they’d ordered and got their food.</p><p>            “They won’t be anymore.” Naruto said with smirk.</p><p>            “Yes, I heard about you beating them up.” Inoichi-san said chuckling. “That’s very impressive.”</p><p>            “I told Mikoto-san about it and she said I was just like my mom!” Naruto said excitedly as he kicked his feet back and forth. Inoichi-san looked at him surprised.</p><p>            “She’s been telling you about your mom?” Inoichi-san asked, his eyes wide.</p><p>            “Yeah,” Naruto said with a warm smile.</p><p>            “I’m happy for you, Naruto-kun.” Inoichi-san said with a smile. “She’s the perfect person to be telling you about her.”</p><p>            “I’m just glad those jerks aren’t messing with you anymore.” Ino said scowling. “They’re so mean!”</p><p>            “Yeah, it was cool how you kicked their butts.” Chouji said through a mouthful of food.</p><p>            “I’m happy those kids aren’t bothering you anymore, Naruto-kun. But you can’t solve everything with violence.” Inoichi-san told him.</p><p>            “I know that Inoichi-san.” Naruto said giving him a look. It was weird that Inoichi-san was telling him all this. He was so used to adult just letting him do whatever he wanted. Naruto didn’t resort to violence unless it was absolutely necessary. “I’ve tried talking to those jerks before and it never worked. So, this time I was just done with trying to be nice to them.”</p><p>            “I see.” Inoichi-san said with a chuckle. “Well, I’m glad you know that, Naruto-kun.” They moved on to a different topic and Naruto enjoyed himself. He wished he had more experiences like this as a kid. He felt like things would’ve gone differently if he had them.</p><p>            “Thank you for lunch, Inoichi-san.” Naruto said beaming at him.</p><p>            “You’re welcome, Naruto-kun. You’re always welcome to come by the shop.” Inoichi-san said warmly. Naruto wanted to cry, he was so happy. He never had so many people tell him he was welcome in their homes as a kid. He was glad that he had a second chance. It was just unfair that he was the only one who was able to experience it. On their way home, Shikamaru and Naruto ran into Sasuke and Itachi.</p><p>            “Going home?” Itachi asked them.</p><p>            “Yes.” Naruto said nodding. “We just had lunch with Ino, Chōji, and Inoichi-san.” Sasuke pouted.</p><p>            “I want to have lunch with you guys.” Sasuke said crossing his arms.</p><p>            “I’ll ask the next time we have lunch.” Naruto said grinning at him. Sasuke beamed at him. Naruto realized that Sasuke didn’t have any friends outside of his family and that to Naruto was sad. So, he wanted to make sure Sasuke made as many friends as possible.</p><p>            “Thank you, Naruto-kun.” Itachi said smiling at him. “Sasuke doesn’t get out much except for when he follows me.” Sasuke blushed but didn’t deny any of it.</p><p>             “I just want to make my friends happy.” Naruto said shrugging. And it was true. He wanted all his friends to be happy. If he could put a stop to Danzo as soon as possible, that would be great. He was going to need help though, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask anyone. Kakashi was the obvious choice, but Naruto really didn’t want to upset his friend with the horrible truth.</p><p>            <em>‘Kit, you need to take care of that bastard before you start the academy.’</em> Kurama told him.</p><p>            ‘I know, Kurama. I’m just worried for Kakashi’s mental health, is all.’ Naruto told him.</p><p>            <em>‘I’d worry more about your own before worrying about his.’</em> Kurama said snorting.</p><p>            ‘You have a point,’ Naruto conceded. ‘But’</p><p>            <em>‘But nothing. You don’t have to tell him the whole truth just yet.’ </em>Kurama growled. <em>‘Just tell him enough so that he’ll help you.’</em></p><p>            ‘Okay, I’ll try my best.’ Naruto said, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy. Naruto had an idea of how he was going to approach Kakashi, but he needed it to be under the right circumstance. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that Naruto had found the right moment. Kakashi was following him down in the crowd of the busy village and some kids decided to take a swing at Naruto. Naruto dodged them, taunted them, and then took off towards Kakashi. The kids naturally followed him with a mob-like mentality and just when they think they’ve cornered Naruto, Naruto jumps behind a surprised Kakashi and uses him to hide from the kids. Kakashi shooed the kids off and then looked down at Naruto when Naruto continued to use the jōnin as a shield. “Oh, sorry mister.” Naruto put on the saddest look he could muster before starting to walk away.</p><p>            “Wait.” Kakashi said, stopping Naruto. “May I speak with you, Naruto-kun?” Naruto shrugged, feigning shock, and let the copycat ninja lead him to a more secluded area. Naruto wasn’t sure how he was going to get Kakashi to believe him, but he wasn’t about to give up. This was important, and Naruto only hoped he didn’t mess this up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kakashi and Naruto finally talk and Naruto doesn't tell him everything (just some things). Naruto meets up with Sasuke and Itachi for a camping trip!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            “Who are you, Mister? You seem to know me.” Naruto said as he followed Kakashi to a more secluded area.</p><p>            “My name is Kakashi Hatake. I was a student of...” He trailed off, but Naruto knew what he was going to say.</p><p>            “Of who?” Naruto asked him curiously.</p><p>            “No one.” Kakashi said shaking his head. “I’m a friend of your mom though.”</p><p>            “Really?” Naruto asked narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously.</p><p>            “Really.” Kakashi said chuckling. “I’ve been observing you for a while, Naruto-kun. And I have a few questions I want to ask you.”</p><p>            “What do you want to know?” Naruto asked him as they came to a complete stop in an alleyway just off to the side. The bustle of the villagers was muffled, and it was darker compared to being out in the open. If Naruto didn’t already trust Kakashi, he would’ve been suspicious.</p><p>            “How old are you?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. The question caught Naruto off guard a bit.</p><p>            “E-excuse me? Are you okay, Kakashi-san? I’m clearly six.” Naruto said playing it off.</p><p>            “I know you’re lying.” Kakashi said not looking impressed.</p><p>            “How would you know? I’ve just met you.” Naruto challenged him. This was so something his six-year-old self would do.</p><p>            “You’re not fooling me, Naruto-kun.” Kakashi said sighing. “So, tell me. How old are you really?”</p><p>            “Isn’t it rude to ask people their age?” Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms. Kakashi just lifted an eyebrow. “I mean, would you like it if I asked you how old you are?”</p><p>            “Stop messing around and answer my question.” Kakashi said very seriously. Way to ruin the fun, Kakashi!</p><p>            “Alright, if you really must know.” Naruto said sighing. “You always have to ruin my fun, don’t you?”</p><p>            “I’m waiting.” Kakashi said probably scowling at Naruto now.</p><p>            “I’m twenty-six.” Naruto said shrugging. “Wait... twenty-nine.” Naruto grimaced at the thought of almost being thirty now.</p><p>            “And when did you arrive?” He asked, making Naruto think the man actually came to the conclusion that Naruto had time travelled. It was just a question of how Kakashi came to that conclusion. Naruto didn’t think he was acting too strange compared to how he was before. Maybe Kakashi had been watching him a lot longer than Naruto had realized.</p><p>            “Three years ago...” Naruto answered, wondering what the copy-cat ninja’s next move was going to be.</p><p>            “Why did you come back?” Kakashi asked, surprising Naruto yet again.</p><p>            “Um... I can’t tell you too much at the moment, but I want to prevent a war caused by a really crazy super powerful bastard and I put emphasis on the word ‘crazy’.” Naruto answered nonchalantly. Kakashi gaped at him for maybe a few minutes. “Look, I know this is kind of overwhelming, but I don’t want to talk about this where shadows can overhear us. You know what I mean?” Kakashi nodded and picked Naruto up, causing him to squawk in surprise.</p><p>            “We can talk in my apartment.” Kakashi said before taking Naruto to his apartment. If it weren’t for the serious circumstance that was going on, Naruto would’ve pointed out to Kakashi how this must to look to onlookers. At least Naruto didn’t have to convince him. But he needed to figure out what he was going to tell Kakashi and what he was going to keep quiet about for the time being.</p><p>            ‘You probably shouldn’t go into too much detail about the war or say too much about Madara Uchiha yet.’ Kurama told him. ‘We don’t want to change stuff too much at such a quick pace.’</p><p>            ‘Okay.’ Naruto responded. Once inside, Kakashi put Naruto down and activated what Naruto assumed was privacy seals.</p><p>            “Tell me what this is about.” Kakashi said frowning.</p><p>            “Like I said, I can’t tell you too much at the moment.” Naruto said awkwardly. “But I can tell you that there’s one person that’s currently in the way of preventing the war.”</p><p>            “Who is it?” Kakashi asked him seriously. Naruto was happy that Kakashi was trusting him.</p><p>            “Danzo.” Naruto said scowling. “The bastard has been slowly pushing the Uchiha into rebelling against the village and he plans on having them massacred ‘for the greater good of the village’.”</p><p>            “So, what can we do to prevent that?” Kakashi asked him.</p><p>            “I don’t know what you know about him and his experiments, but from what I know, he’s been after the Sharingan and has been stealing them from the Uchiha who’ve decided to join ROOT.” Naruto said frowning. “That to me explains why Fugaku Uchiha is so protective of his family. He doesn’t know about it, but he probably has his suspicions.”</p><p>            “Okay, so we need to stop him from going after their Sharingan.” Kakashi said thoughtfully. “I’m not really welcome because of my eye. I’m assuming you know how I got it.”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Naruto said grimacing. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Kakashi.”</p><p>            “Thanks.” Kakashi said eye smiling at him. “But you don’t have to feel bad for me.”</p><p>            “I don’t feel bad for you.” Naruto said scowling at him. Kakashi looked at him surprised. “You’re one of my friends and I don’t want to see you suffer on your own. I know, technically, this is the ‘first time’ we’ve met, but I do care about you.”</p><p>            “I’m trying to take you seriously, but it’s hard when a six-year-old is scowling at me.” Kakashi said sheepishly. Naruto gave him a deadpanned expression.</p><p>            “As if I could help that.” Naruto said rolling his eyes.</p><p>            “Seriously, though, thank you.” Kakashi said sincerely. “So, what do you think would be the best option of stopping Danzo?”</p><p>            “Exposing his experiments and documents to Jiji; including ROOT.” Naruto said smirking. “And we’ll need to take care of that arm of his. From what I know, he’s able to reverse his death for as many Sharigan he has on that arm.”</p><p>            “Well, that’s going to be difficult.” Kakashi said, thoughtfully. “But it’s possible.”</p><p>            “Yes, we’re going to have to keep an eye on that bastard.” Naruto said sighing.</p><p>            “One other question.” Kakashi said looking at him. “Is Itachi-kun a time traveler too?”</p><p>            “Not that I’m aware of.” Naruto said, surprised for the second time that day. “Is he not acting like his usual self?”</p><p>            “He does when he’s with Sasuke or his family.” Kakashi said shaking his head. “But when he’s with you or someone else, he’s completely different.”</p><p>            “Oh, well, wouldn’t that be normal?” Naruto asked confused.</p><p>            “Not with Itachi-kun.” Kakashi said, frowning. “He’s usually indifferent towards everyone including some of his family members. But he spends more time being kind to the other villagers.”</p><p>            “Maybe he’s realized that continuing to cut himself off from the rest of the village is part of the reason why there’s such a gape between the Uchiha and the rest of the village.” Naruto said shrugging.</p><p>            “Maybe...” Kakashi said sighing. “I’ll focus more on Danzo for now. What happened to him in your old timeline?”</p><p>            “He was killed just before the war began from what I know.” Naruto said frowning as he remembered the conversation that he and Sasuke had about that subject.</p><p>            “I can see that you’re keeping information from me, but I’m assuming there’s a good reason for that.” Kakashi said raising an eyebrow at Naruto.</p><p>            “Yes.” Naruto said nodding. “I don’t want to mess things up, so I want to take this slowly.”</p><p>            “I understand that.” Kakashi said nodding. “Was moving in with the Naras a part of your plan?”</p><p>            “No, I’m just as surprised about it as you probably were.” Naruto said chuckling. “It makes things a little harder, but at the same time, I’m really enjoying it.”</p><p>            “That’s good. I’m assuming in the original timeline, this doesn’t happen?” Kakashi asked him.</p><p>            “Nope. I spend the rest of my childhood being called names and getting glared at by everyone.” Naruto said shrugging. “At least until the Chuunin Exams. I still get glared at, but not as often.”</p><p>            “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you earlier.” Kakashi said grimacing.</p><p>            “I don’t blame you, Kakashi.” Naruto said smiling sadly. “You were still grieving and wanted to keep yourself busy. And I finally understand that now.”</p><p>            “Thanks.” Kakashi said before hesitantly reaching over and ruffling Naruto’s hair. Naruto pouted.</p><p>            “I’m not a kid...” He grumbled. Kakashi snorted.</p><p>            “You look like one and act like one.” Kakashi said giving him a deadpanned look. Naruto just stuck his tongue out at him.</p><p>            “Itachi and Sasuke are expecting me.” Naruto said grinning. “We’re supposedly going to be camping this weekend.”</p><p>            “While you do that, I’m going to watch Danzo as closely as I can.” Kakashi said nodding.</p><p>            “Good luck and be careful!” Naruto told him.</p><p>            “Don’t worry, I will.” Kakashi said smiling. He deactivated the privacy seals and Naruto quickly hugged him before running out of the apartment. Naruto met up with Itachi and Sasuke at a store in the village. They seemed to be finished getting the supplies they’d need for camping out in the woods.</p><p>            “Naruto, what took you so long?” Sasuke asked scowling at him.</p><p>            “Sorry, I got held up by some jerks.” Naruto said rolling his eyes.</p><p>            “Are you okay, Naruto-kun?” Itachi asked him.</p><p>            “Yeah. They ran away the moment I started fighting back.” Naruto said shaking his head. He had to remember he was technically a twenty-nine-year-old beating up eight- and nine-year-olds. It was really embarrassing if he thought of that way, but no one but Kakashi knew this bit of information.</p><p>            “Cowards.” Sasuke said rolling his eyes. “Can we go now, Nii-san?”</p><p>            “Yes.” Itachi said chuckling. “We have everything we need for this weekend.”</p><p>            “Let’s go!” Naruto said excitedly. He was honestly very excited. He’d never went on camping trips with his friends. Sure, they’d been camping, but that was because of missions. This trip was going to be purely leisure-time and Naruto got to spend it with Sasuke and Itachi. Naruto had slowly let his guard down around Sasuke over the last three years and he and Naruto were best friends now. Naruto still had nightmares, but they weren’t as frequent as they were when he first arrived in this timeline. Yoshino-san and Shikaku-san upgraded Naruto’s futon to a bed and took him to find stuff for his room and make it more personalized. They let him pick out his own clothes and it made Naruto happy. Their home was starting to feel like his home. There were times where Naruto still felt like he was outside looking in and that he didn’t belong there, but that only happened after he had the nightmares. He would start getting lost in his own thoughts and despair over the loss of his loved ones. Those were the times when he’d lock himself up in his room and only come out for food when Yoshino-san or Shikamaru managed to coax him out of there. It was very much like when he was younger. He’d put on a mask that showed he was happy and smiling all the time. But then when he finally went home, he’d take the mask off and wallow in despair over the unfairness that was his life.</p><p>            Naruto hadn’t done that at all when he and Hinata started dating. It was then that he realized that he truly wasn’t alone; that he had friends who cared about him. But coming back in time, seems to have reset that feeling in him and Naruto was back to struggling to stay afloat. Only this time, it wasn’t as bad because he had Shikamaru, Yoshino-san, and Shikaku-san to help him. And they’d never understand just how much Naruto is grateful to them. Naruto was okay with that though, because he didn’t want to burden them any more than he already has. He was just glad that things seemed to be going a bit better for him this time around. Naruto also felt relieved that Kakashi at least had a gist of what was going on now. But the conversation they had about Itachi did make Naruto wonder. Was Itachi a time traveler too? And if so, how was that possible? Itachi was dead and the only way he’d have a chance of time traveling is if he was under the reanimation jutsu. But who would have used it on him and allowed him to time travel?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>O.O I just realized I forgot to post chapter 6!!! Gah, I'm so sorry! T.T So here's chapter 6 and I'll post chapter 7 after this one T_T</p><p> </p><p>Hello... it's been a while, I know. I kind of lost inspiration for this story, but I'm going to attempt to keep working on it. But it might be a while before the next chapter is out. Sorry to those who have been enjoying this.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto is enjoying his time with the Uchiha siblings, but he really just wants Sasuke to stop glaring at him! Also, Kakashi gets a new mission and is struggling to comprehend everything he and Naruto had discussed.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's chapter 7 again lol I forgot to post chapter 6, so I went back and fixed it. I'm so sorry for the confusion!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            “Naruto, how come you’re better at fishing than I am?” Sasuke asked pouting. They’d been at it for the last hour and Naruto has been the only one to catch any fish.</p><p>            “Jiji taught me how to fish and I just took to it.” Naruto said shrugging. He couldn’t exactly tell Sasuke that he’d had years of experience. “Do you want some help?”</p><p>            “No, I can do it.” Sasuke said stubbornly. Naruto rolled his eyes.</p><p>            “Okay.” Naruto said smiling. He’d already caught three fish. Itachi was setting up the campfire and sent them to catch fish for their meals for this weekend.</p><p>            “How is the fishing coming along?” Itachi asked as he approached them.</p><p>            “Good.” Naruto answered as Sasuke was too focused on attaching bait to his hook.</p><p>            “It’s not good.” Sasuke said scowling when he finally got his bait situated. “I haven’t caught a single fish!”</p><p>            “You have to be patient, Sasuke.” Itachi said chuckling. Naruto thought it was kind of ironic that Sasuke, who had seemed to be the most patient between him, Naruto, and Sakura, was actually really impatient as a small kid. “The fish can sense your frustration.”</p><p>            “Yeah, right. You’re just making that up.” Sasuke said narrowing his eyes at Itachi. Just as he said this, Naruto felt a tug on his line and he pulled. A fish came out and Naruto quickly caught it in his net.</p><p>            “You see? Patience.” Itachi said chuckling at the glare Sasuke was giving Naruto. Naruto grimaced. He hated seeing Sasuke glare at him. It didn’t exactly bring good memories. Naruto shook it off; he could think about that later. “If you think this is too frustrating, then you can help me set up the sleeping bags.”</p><p>            “Okay.” Sasuke said getting up and setting his homemade fishing rod off to the side.</p><p>            “Do you think you can handle this, Naruto-kun?” Itachi asked him.</p><p>            “Yes, Itachi-san.” Naruto said nodding. Itachi nodded to him before going back to the camp area with Sasuke following after him. Same old, same old. Naruto thought chuckling. Sasuke idolized Itachi, so Naruto could kind of understand why Sasuke wanted to get revenge. But going down the road of revenge wasn’t good for anyone. Naruto hoped this would work. If it didn’t, then he didn’t have any more hope for the world left. <em>‘Don’t be so dramatic,’</em> Kurama muttered, rolling his eyes.</p><p>            ‘I can’t help it, I’m exhausted.’ Naruto said pouting at his friend.</p><p>            <em>‘I know this isn’t easy. But if you give up, then there really is no hope for this world.’ </em>Kurama said sighing.</p><p>            ‘I know,’ Naruto muttered. ‘I’m trying, I swear.’</p><p><em>            ‘I know you are.’ </em>Kurama said before going quiet.</p><p>            “Naruto-kun, are you feeling tired?” Itachi asked him. “You spaced out.”</p><p>            “O-Oh, yeah. I do feel a little bit tired.” Naruto admitted. “But I’m okay.”</p><p>            “It’s okay if you take a rest. Sasuke and I have the tent and sleeping bags set up.” Itachi offered. “We can take over getting dinner and I’ll wake you once dinner is ready.”</p><p>            “Are you sure?” Naruto asked him.</p><p>            “Of course.” Itachi said nodding.</p><p>            “Okay, thank you, Itachi-san.” Naruto said with a smile. Naruto went to the tent and climbed into a sleeping bag. He was tired, but he was worried that he was going to have a nightmare during this camping trip. He didn’t want to worry Sasuke and Itachi with his nightmares. But he had a feeling that it was unavoidable. What felt like several hours later, Sasuke was waking him up, and he felt very energized compared to earlier.</p><p>            “Dinner is ready!” Sasuke said energetically. “Nii-san and I caught a lot of fish while you were sleeping!”</p><p>            “That’s good.” Naruto said stretching a bit as he followed Sasuke to the campfire. Itachi-san was plating the food and setting the plates down on a blanket that was laid out a few feet from the campfire.</p><p>            “How was your nap, Naruto-kun?” Itachi-san asked him.</p><p>            “Good. I feel well rested now.” Naruto answered.</p><p>            “That’s good.” Itachi-san said as he gestured towards the plates. “Grab a plate.”</p><p>            “Thank you, Itachi-san.” Naruto said before sitting on the blanket and grabbing a plate. It was safe to say that he didn’t have a nightmare during his nap. Sasuke stared at Naruto as he ate. “What?”</p><p>            “It’s nothing.” Sasuke said quickly before taking a bite of his fish. Did something happen while Naruto was sleeping? Naruto shrugged and continued eating his food. He wondered if he should continue asking Sasuke about it and maybe he’d tell him.</p><p>Kakashi’s P.O.V</p><p>            Kakashi was still in shock over the things Naruto had told him. He didn’t think Naruto was an actual time traveler. In fact, he was hoping Naruto would’ve just continued to think Kakashi was being really weird and ask if he was okay or something. But no, Naruto just crushed that and told him some very alarming information. Danzo was going to have the Uchiha Clan massacred and it was going to lead to war. Kakashi wondered what happened to Naruto for him to have to resort to time traveling. Were they losing the war and it got really bad? Or was it something else? Naruto was vague about who killed Danzo and how he’d found the information, but Kakashi assumed it had to do with the things Naruto couldn’t tell him just yet. But it was frustrating not to have all the information from the beginning. Kakashi, of course, understood the importance of not changing a lot of events. But that didn’t make it any less frustrating. Right now, he was heading to the Hokage tower to meet with Hokage-sama. Apparently, he was being assigned a new mission. Kakashi hadn’t been on a mission in a while, but that was because he was trying to figure out what had been bothering him about Naruto.</p><p>            Kakashi knocked on Hokage-sama’s door and the door was opened by Shikaku-sama. Kakashi was a bit surprised, and soon he was standing in front of Hokage-sama’s desk. “You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?”  Kakashi greeted him.</p><p>            “Good afternoon, Kakashi.” Hokage-sama said, nodding to him. “Shikaku has told me that he’s noticed a few villagers hanging around his home a couple times a week. He thinks they have bad intentions towards Naruto-kun.”</p><p>            “Sir?”</p><p>            “I want you to stand guard over their home, Kakashi.” Hokage-sama said frowning. “I don’t doubt for a moment that those villagers will try to harm Naruto-kun if the opportunity rises.”</p><p>            “I understand, sir.” Kakashi said nodding. Kakashi didn’t doubt that either. If he couldn’t do much about Danzo, then he could at least keep the villagers off Naruto’s back.</p><p>            “Good.” Hokage-sama said sounding satisfied. “Also, I noticed you’ve been keeping an eye on him a lot lately.”</p><p>            “Ah, yes. I wanted to make sure he was doing okay.” Kakashi lied. He couldn’t tell him the real reason why he kept a close eye on Naruto. At least, not right now. Once he knew more, he’d come to a better decision.</p><p>            “I’m sure Minato-kun and Kushina-chan would be proud of you.” Hokage-sama said smiling at him.</p><p>            “Yes,” Kakashi said tensely. He felt like he didn’t deserve them being proud of him. Kakashi took too long to start keeping an eye on Naruto-kun. He grieved over his dead team for so long that he lost track of Naruto-kun. The only reason he was ordered to watch Naruto-kun recently was because Hokage-sama was trying to force him to take a break from the constant missions he put himself through. Doing missions until he dropped was the only way he knew how to cope with loss, but he’s starting to realize that Naruto-kun had lost everything important to him to come back. Naruto-kun needs him more now than ever and Kakashi was going to do his best to be there for Naruto-kun. Kakashi hoped that through helping Naruto-kun, he’ll be able to move on from his loss and start to fondly remember his sensei and teammates without the pain looming over him. Kakashi was dismissed and he immediately made his way over to Shikaku-sama’s home. Yoshino-san greeted him with a smile.</p><p>            “Hello Kakashi-san, are you here to keep an eye on our home?” She asked him as she let him inside.</p><p>            “Yes, Hokage-sama told me the situation.” Kakashi answered her. She offered him a cup of tea and politely accepted it. “Where is Naruto-kun?”</p><p>            “Oh, he’s camping with Itachi-kun and Sasuke-kun.” She said smiling. “I’m glad Naruto-kun is getting out more. Up until more recently, he only hung around the house and played with Shikamaru. He didn’t seem comfortable with staying here and I was worried if it was us. But then Shikamaru told me he was having nightmares and that Naruto-kun had shared that he wasn’t used to being around people who cared if he was there or not.” Kakashi grimaced. “Yes, Shikaku and I felt the same way. I can’t believe it took me that long to realize that Naruto-kun is used to being on his own and coming and going whenever he felt like it. He never had anyone to tell him when to come home, to eat dinner with, to share a home with. I forgot that and got onto him without thinking.”</p><p>            “Don’t be hard on yourself, Yoshino-san.” Kakashi told her. “It’s natural to forget that because he’s very good at putting on a smile even when he’s hurting.”</p><p>            “I’ve realized that.” Yoshino-san said chuckling. “So, I always make sure to ask him how he’s feeling as many times as I feel I need to so that he realizes that I do care about him. He’s been playing with some other kids though lately and it makes me happy to see him enjoying himself. There were a few that gave him trouble because of what their parents said, but I think they decided on their own that Naruto-kun isn’t as bad as their parents said he is.”</p><p>            “It’s good that he’s making friends.” Kakashi said eye-smiling. He was glad that Naruto-kun was able to change things with his friends this time around. He wasn’t sure how it went before Naruto-kun came back, but he assumed it went differently.</p><p>            “Yes, I’m relieved. He seems to be acting like a normal kid his age.” Yoshino-san said looking relieved. “He does have his moments where he’ll lock himself up in his room, though. I think that only happens when he’s had the nightmares.”</p><p>            “Did Shikamaru-kun find out what his nightmares are about?” Kakashi asked curiously.</p><p>            “No, I’m afraid Naruto-kun has kept that to himself.” Yoshino-san said frowning. “He doesn’t like to talk about his nightmares when he’s asked about them. He goes quiet very quickly when they’re brought up.”</p><p>            “Hm...” Kakashi said thoughtfully. He was going to eventually ask Naruto-kun about his nightmares.</p><p>            “I’m sure he’ll open up about them in time.” Yoshino-san said smiling. “I have faith in my son and his friends.” With that, Kakashi checked out the house and perched himself on top of the roof. He immediately noticed the villagers who were hanging around the house. And they were behaving very suspiciously. Kakashi readied himself in case he needed to take action. The villagers eventually left and Kakashi relaxed, but not too much. He needed to keep Naruto-kun and Shikaku-sama’s family safe. Unfortunately for the villagers, Naruto-kun isn’t here right now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto's first day of school does not go as well as he'd hoped. But thankfully he has his friends there to back him up!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            It was finally time for Naruto to begin at the academy. He was happy about it because he was tired of sitting around and not being able to truly train like he’s been wanting to. Now that he’s started at the academy, it wouldn’t be weird if someone were to find him training. Naruto missed his abilities and he missed speaking with Shukaku and the other tailed beasts. ‘I don’t,’ Kurama grumbled in his head that morning. It was the first day of school and Yoshino-san had been rushing Shikamaru and Naruto around this morning to get them ready.</p><p>            ‘But they’re your family,’ Naruto thought, inwardly pouting. ‘You’re supposed to love your family.’</p><p>            ‘Yeah, yeah,’ The fox grumbled, not looking at Naruto. From what Naruto could tell, the fox was blushing and inwardly grinned in satisfaction. Finally, Yoshino-san was walking Shikamaru and Naruto to the academy. Sasuke and Itachi-san joined them on the way. Sasuke animatedly told Shikamaru and Naruto about how he was going to be the best in their class. Shikamaru ignored him mostly, but Naruto wasn’t allowed that luxury. Naruto had learned that if he did anything to seem like he was ignoring Sasuke, he’d get glared at. Naruto definitely didn’t want to be glared at by Sasuke. And he knows that sounds ridiculous but being glared at like that brought up unwanted memories. It wasn’t long before Itachi-san told Sasuke to take it easy that Sasuke finally stopped. Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru joined the rest of the class out in the middle of the school yard. Naruto seriously didn’t think he’d have to go through listening to the old man talk again. That was his least favorite thing from last time, but Naruto wanted to do better. He did his best to pay attention to what Jiji was saying as he gave his speech. There was only one problem with this. He couldn’t stop himself from looking around at the parents of the students standing near the back of the assembly. He frowned as he noticed several of them glaring at him. Shikamaru surprised him by grabbing his wrist.</p><p>            “Just ignore those jerks.” He muttered quietly. Naruto smiled and nodded. He was such an idiot for not noticing how Shikamaru and Chōji had been there for him from the beginning. Instead, he focused on trying to get the attention of others when he already had someone who noticed him. Kakashi was nearby, Naruto could feel it. That was comforting to him. He needed to figure out what needed to be worked on next. He knew Itachi-san was probably already working on his family and Naruto wanted to help with that. The only problem was, there wasn’t much he could do to help. Right now, it was really all on the members of the Uchiha Clan to decide to reintegrate themselves back into the village. It was up to them to get past their anger and hurt after how they were treated because of that Danzo bastard. Naruto was sure Itachi-san understood that and that was probably why Itachi-san insisted on joining the ANBU amongst other things. Naruto would also like to get to know Shisui-san better. He seemed like a good person who was trustworthy and loyal. Finally, Jiji’s speech was over, and the students were being led into the school. Naruto knew exactly which class he was going to be in, so he didn’t fret over where he needed to go. Being back inside this school brought back a lot of memories that made Naruto feel nostalgic. He knew now wasn’t really the time to be nostalgic, but he couldn’t help it.</p><p>            Naruto found out that as he grew older, the more sentimental he became. He kind of saw why some of friends always rolled their eyes when he started talking about something that happened a long time ago. But he couldn’t help it. He supposed he got that from his father, from the stories Kakashi had told him. He and his classmates entered their classroom and Iruka Sensei was in there waiting for them. Iruka Sensei spotted Naruto and grimaced. Naruto frowned and sat down with Sasuke. Chōji and Shikamaru were sitting with Ino. Surprisingly, Sakura sat down next to him and not Sasuke. She smiled at him. “Hi, Naruto.”</p><p>“Hi, Sakura-chan.” Naruto said smiling at her. “I’m glad we all got the same class.”</p><p>“Me too.” She said enthusiastically. “I was worried we wouldn’t be in the same class.”</p><p>            “Really?”  Naruto asked her surprised. She nodded.</p><p>            “I don’t know anyone besides you, Sasuke-kun, Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji, Kiba, Hinata, and Shino.” She said frowning. “I don’t know what I’d do if I were put in a different class from the rest of you.”</p><p>            “Ah,” Naruto said understandingly. “We’d still be friends.” She smiled.</p><p>            “I’m glad.” She said before turning her attention to Iruka Sensei. He’d cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. He stood up and went around his desk, holding a clipboard with paper on it.</p><p>            “Good morning, class. My name is Iruka Umino, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher.” Iruka Sensei said smiling at everyone. Naruto knew that smile wasn’t meant for him. “You can call me Iruka Sensei. I’m going to take roll call. So, when I call your name, please say you’re here.” He read names off the list and when he got to Naruto’s name, he hesitated a bit. “N-Naruto Uzumaki?”</p><p>            “Here, Iruka Sensei.” Naruto answered as normally as possible. He really missed Iruka Sensei, but he didn’t miss the struggle to show Iruka Sensei that Naruto was not the monster everyone claimed him to be. Iruka Sensei nodded and moved on. Once roll call was finished, he sat his clipboard down on the desk and explained to them how their classes were going to work. Iruka Sensei may be their homeroom teacher, but he’s also in charge of teaching them the history of Konoha and the basics of jutsu and chakra. Another instructor was to teach them mathematics, another to teach them strategies, and another to work on their physical training and using weapons. Naruto wasn’t good at anything but the physical training, so that was going to suck. He was sure if he’d just asked, Shikamaru might help him to the best of his abilities. Naruto fully intended on asking Shikamaru for help, but he didn’t want to bother his friend too much. So, he was going to do his best to do what he can on his own and then go to Shikamaru if he really needed the help. Iruka Sensei then started talking about how Konoha was founded. Luckily for Naruto he already knew all of this. Of course, he didn’t really retain the knowledge until he was in the middle of a war against Madara Uchiha. But he learned it. Iruka Sensei would be disappointed to know that the only way Naruto learned it was through warfare.</p><p>            Iruka Sensei did a small pop quiz to test their knowledge on the subject. Naruto panicked slightly, not expecting it. But his panic soon left him as he realized he could easily answer these questions. The only problem was he had to be careful how he worded his sentences. He didn’t want to come off as a super genius because he’s not. And he also didn’t want to pretend to be dumb. ‘Just answer the damn questions.’ Kurama grunted.</p><p>‘Okay, okay,’ Naruto thought, mentally rolling his eyes. Naruto answered the questions and made sure to take his time with the questions. Iruka Sensei collected the quizzes and when he came across Naruto’s, he looked at him shocked. Was it that hard to believe that he’d know some of these things already?</p><p>‘A little bit,’ Kurama answered him snorting.</p><p>‘Rude,’ Naruto thought inwardly scowling. ‘I’ve gotten better.’</p><p>‘He doesn’t know that.’ Kurama said grinning.</p><p>‘Yeah, but he also doesn’t know how dumb I am sometimes.’ Naruto pointed out.</p><p>‘You just called yourself dumb,’ Kurama said snickering.</p><p>‘So, what if I do?’ Naruto thought feeling slightly embarrassed and a bit irritated. He wasn’t wrong though. He knew he wasn’t that smart, and he knew how annoying it was deal with an idiot like him. It was a bit of a sore subject for him. He hated that he couldn’t proudly say he did good when he was in the academy every time one of the kids asked him about how he was in school. He also hated the fact that Boruto used that against him during arguments.</p><p>‘Look, I’m sorry.’ Kurama said softly. ‘You can turn that around.’</p><p>‘I know, that’s the plan.’ Naruto thought inwardly sighing. Naruto tuned back into what was going on around in time to listen to Iruka Sensei as he started talking. He started his lesson by going over the questions on the quiz. Naruto did his best to participate in class, surprising Iruka Sensei more. Naruto had to admit that it was kind of fun. Iruka Sensei didn’t grimace at Naruto throughout the rest of class, and it was nice. Maybe it will be easier this time around. After Iruka Sensei’s class, the next sensei came in. He introduced himself as Mori Sensei and that he looked forward to teaching this class. Naruto didn’t believe that for a second. He saw how the chuunin scowled and glared at him when he thought no one was looking. Mori Sensei was teaching them mathematics and Naruto struggled hardcore. Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru did their best to help him. And close to the end of the class, Mori Sensei snorted when Naruto asked him a question related to their classwork.</p><p>            “This brat is so dumb.” He had muttered it, but it was loud enough for the whole class to hear. The kids, other than the Rookie 9, laughed and giggled. Naruto heard one of them call him a monster and he sighed. “And now he thinks he can disrespect me and not have any consequences for it.” Mori Sensei was now glaring at him. But all Naruto did was sigh! Why did this man feel the need to belittle him?</p><p>            “But sensei, Naruto didn’t do anything wrong!” Sakura said frowning.</p><p>            “Yes, he did. You just heard him.” Mori Sensei said dismissively.</p><p>            “No, he didn’t,” Shikamaru said frustrated. “Naruto hasn’t done or said anything to you.” Naruto was surprised to see his friend scowling at the teacher.</p><p>            “Yeah, leave him alone!” Sasuke said full on glaring at the man.</p><p>“You were the one being disrespectful towards him! You called him dumb for asking a question!” Chōji shouted, surprising everyone this time.</p><p>            “We’ll tell our parents that you’re being mean to him for no reason!” Ino threatened. Mori Sensei froze, frowning.</p><p>            “There’s no need for that. Now, everyone sit down!” Mori Sensei said scowling at the whole class. Naruto had a bad feeling about later, but he left it alone as the class finally came to an end. At the end of the day, Iruka Sensei had pulled him, Shikamaru, Ino, Chōji, Sasuke, and Sakura to the side. Apparently, the Mori Sensei complained to Iruka Sensei about what happened during class. No doubt he bent the truth and Iruka Sensei believed it. Naruto thought darkly.</p><p>            “Will you explain to me what happened in mathematics this morning?” Iruka Sensei asked calmly. It surprised Naruto because he was expecting the chuunin to be yelling at them.</p><p>            “Naruto asked Mori Sensei a question, that’s all.” Shikamaru answered. “And then Mori Sensei called him dumb and made the rest of the class laugh.”</p><p>            “Naruto sighed and Mori Sensei said he was being disrespectful!” Ino said scowling.</p><p>            “Yeah, Naruto didn’t do anything wrong!” Sakura said desperately wanting Iruka Sensei to believe her.</p><p>            “He said you threatened him.” Iruka Sensei said raising an eyebrow.</p><p>            “No, I told him we’d tell our parents that he called Naruto dumb just because he asked a question!” Ino said exasperatedly. “That’s not exactly threatening, Iruka Sensei.”</p><p>            “Yeah, it wasn’t right how Mori Sensei was treating Naruto.” Chōji said frowning. “Naruto hasn’t done anything wrong.”</p><p>            “You believe us, don’t you Iruka Sensei?” Sasuke asked him, frowning.</p><p>            “I-“ Iruka Sensei hesitated when he looked at Naruto. Naruto frowned.</p><p>            “It’s okay,” Naruto said sighing. He felt hurt, but he did his best not to show it. “I’ll go clean erasers.”</p><p>            “No way!” Ino said scowling at him. “You haven’t done anything wrong!” She sounded frustrated.</p><p>            “I’ll talk with Mori Sensei once more.” Iruka Sensei said decisively. “You kids go home.”</p><p>            “Okay, see you tomorrow Iruka Sensei.” Shikamaru said before grabbing Naruto’s wrist and leading him out the door.</p><p>            “Why did you say that?” Sasuke had asked him as they all walked home. “Iruka Sensei should’ve believed us!” Naruto just shrugged. He was just tired of fighting with people over this stuff.</p><p>            “I bet my mom has dinner almost ready.” Shikamaru said changing the subject. Naruto was grateful. He didn’t want to talk about what happened with Mori Sensei anymore. Fortunately for him, the others respected that and after waving goodbye to them all, Shikamaru and Naruto headed back to the Nara Estate.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone! Thanks for being patient. Good news is that I found a way to help me organize my chapters a lot better.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Itachi spends time out and about in the village, Shisui wants to move, and Itachi makes quick friends with Genma, Raidou, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Itachi’s P.O.V</p><p>            Itachi was happy that Danzo was taken care of. His clan was given a chance to actually be a part of the village and to show the rest of the village how useful they are. His first step was to walk around the village and speak to the other villagers, of course. But he was going to bring Shisui with him today. He thought about bringing a different clan member every day, but he wasn’t sure how well that would go with the others. For now, he was just going to start with Shisui. Shisui was apprehensive about it, but since it was Itachi asking, he agreed. Even though Itachi was in the ANBU now, his official first day didn’t start until tomorrow. So, he decided to use today as a steppingstone for his clan to reacclimate themselves with the rest of the village. As the cousins walked around the village, Itachi made sure to say hello to everyone he was familiar with and said a few hellos to the ones he wasn’t. He seemed to have surprised a lot of people by doing so, but he didn’t think it was that surprising. He may be quiet most of the time, but he can be sociable when he’s willing to be. Right now, Naruto-kun and Sasuke were in school. Itachi wondered how it was going. Probably not good, considering the teachers there. Itachi didn’t like some of the teachers there, especially Mizuki Sensei. Mizuki Sensei was a bit creepy in his opinion. He was part of the reason why Itachi hurried to graduate.</p><p>            If that man decided to lay a finger on Naruto-kun or his brother, he was going to have something more terrifying to worry about than a “demon brat”. That was something Itachi never understood about the villagers here. Why treat someone, who is keeping the thing that attacked this village detained, so horribly? What if Naruto-kun had decided to be the monster they so liked to call him? What if Naruto-kun had decided he had enough and left this village? What would they do then? He knew what they’d do. Hokage-sama would’ve sent a team of ANBU after Naruto-kun. But Itachi knew better than to believe they’d actually capture him. Itachi knew exactly how elusive the blond could be if he really wanted to. Itachi had spent months tracking him down after all. Getting to know Naruto-kun better has been something Itachi has come to enjoy during his second life. He could see why so many people were drawn to him. In a way, it was a lot like being around the Fourth Hokage. Naruto-kun’s story was inspirational to hear, if not a bit sad. But there was a lesson in his story. That lesson was about how to achieve your goals by not giving up and to keep going forward, no matter what.</p><p>            Itachi knew Naruto-kun planned to do things differently this time around. But he was very hesitant and doubtful of his abilities. Itachi understands that this was the result of Sasuke betraying him for a second time. He understood that Naruto-kun had lost a lot to achieve the peace times Konoha had during his tenure as Hokage. He also understood that Naruto-kun lost his family and friends during the war against Sasuke and Madara. But Itachi knew that if Naruto-kun couldn’t move past it, then his plans to prevent everything he left in the future were sure to fail. Itachi hoped that by going through his life a second time, that he’d start to heal from his experiences and learn to trust himself more. “What are you thinking so hard about?” Shisui asked, bringing Itachi out of his thoughts.</p><p>            “I was just thinking about Naruto-kun and his hardships so far.” Itachi answered him. He wasn’t lying, really.</p><p>            “Oh, the nine-tailed kid.” He muttered. “He and Sasuke are pretty close, huh?”</p><p>            “Yes, Sasuke has claimed Naruto-kun as his friend and rival.” Itachi said chuckling.</p><p>            “It’s hard to remember that the kid lost his parents on the day of the attack too,” Shisui said grimacing.</p><p>            “Yes,” Itachi said in agreement. He always caught himself forgetting that Naruto had lost his family the day the Kyuubi attacked the village as well. “He was just born, too.”</p><p>            “I can’t imagine how he feels about his birthday.” Shisui said grimacing again.</p><p>            “I never thought to ask.” Itachi said, a bit surprised. He always imagined that Naruto-kun spent his birthday with his friends, but after talking to him more, Itachi realized that Naruto-kun didn’t like to be a bother to his friends. That possibly stinted from his original childhood. Everyone in the village always treated him as a nuisance and even after he made friends, they still treated him like he was just going to automatically screw everything up by being there. With that in mind, Itachi imagined that Naruto-kun spent his birthdays by himself, feeling lonely and unloved. That was something Itachi wanted to change, but he was going to need Kakashi Senpai’s help and possibly Sasuke.</p><p>            “I bet things will be different now that he lives with Shikaku-sama and his family.” Shisui said thoughtfully. “I’m sure Shikaku-sama’s wife wouldn’t let him be miserable on his birthday.”</p><p>            “No, Yoshino-san wouldn’t.” Itachi said chuckling. He could see her surprising him with a cake and a gift. He was very lucky for things to have turned out this way this time around. It was just sad that Naruto-kun had to lose literally everyone he ever cared about for it to come to this.</p><p>            “I was thinking of moving out,” Shisui said almost casually. Itachi could see he was anticipating his reaction. “I’m starting to feel smothered by having my family up my ass all the time.”</p><p>            “I’m happy for you.” Itachi said smiling at him. Shisui just stared at him in surprise. “I would’ve done the same if my father was the head of the clan.”</p><p>            “Really?” Shisui asked, scrutinizingly. “I’m pretty sure Sasuke would do his absolute damnedest to stop you.”</p><p>            “You’re not wrong.” Itachi said chuckling. “He would’ve probably found a creative way to follow me.”</p><p>            “No, I know he would’ve.” Shisui said shaking his head. “But you really wouldn’t mind if I moved out?”</p><p>            “Not at all.” Itachi said, nodding. “It’s good to take a change of scenery every once in a while.”</p><p>            “Man, your father isn’t going to be happy about it.” Shisui said grimacing. “I know my father would be sad to see me go, but he’d at least understand.”</p><p>            “I think I can convince my father that it would do our clan some good, if we had someone living outside of the compound.” Itachi said thoughtfully. “You could be the middleman between the clan and the rest of the village, if you look at it that way.”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Shisui said sighing. “I would hate that, but in a way, I feel like it would be my duty as an Uchiha.”</p><p>            “You do what you feel is right,” Itachi told him. “I’ll take care of my father.”</p><p>            “Thanks, cousin.” Shisui said smiling at him.</p><p>            “Anytime,” Itachi said chuckling. They stopped at a dango shop for lunch and eventually returned to the Uchiha compound by the time Sasuke got home from school.</p><p>            “Nii-chan!” Sasuke greeted him happily when he entered his home. Sasuke was sitting at the kitchen table working on some homework.</p><p>            “How was your first day of school?” Itachi asked him.</p><p>            “Mori Sensei was a jerk to Naruto!” Sasuke said scowling.</p><p>            “How so?” Itachi asked curiously. Mother placed a plate of snacks on the table for Sasuke before disappearing into the other room.</p><p>            “We were sitting in mathematics class and Naruto asked Mori Sensei a question near the end of class. Mori Sensei called him dumb and then some kid called him a monster! Naruto sighed and then Mori Sensei said Naruto was being disrespectful!” Sasuke said angrily. “We stood up to Mori Sensei for saying those things to Naruto. Later, Iruka Sensei pulled us aside and asked us about it. He didn’t believe us! What’s worse is Naruto accepted the fact that Iruka Sensei didn’t believe him and offered to clean erasers!”</p><p>            “Sasuke, while I agree that Mori Sensei was in the wrong, you must remember that Naruto-kun isn’t used to adults believing him. He’s used to everyone calling him a liar and a nuisance. He’s used to being called a monster and being glared at and whispered about everywhere he goes in this village.” Itachi explained. “You need to remember not to be angry at Naruto-kun for how he reacts to these kinds of situations. He’s dealing with it the only way he knows how. So, you must be patient with hm, okay?”</p><p>            “Okay,” Sasuke said a bit surprised. “I had no idea Naruto went through all that, though.”</p><p>            “He’s very good at covering it up.” Itachi said shaking his head. “I’ve only known him a short time, but I can tell he doesn’t like worry others with things like that.”</p><p>            “It’s really sad,” Mother said walking back into the kitchen. “Kushina-chan would be very upset to learn how her son has been treated.”</p><p>            “Who’s that again?” Sasuke asked frowning.</p><p>            “Kushina-chan is Naruto-kun’s mom.” Mother said smiling. “She was my best friend. She’d had Naruto-kun not even a week after I had you.” Sasuke made a face. Itachi chuckled. Later on that evening, Father was sitting in his study looking at some scrolls. Itachi figured now was a better time to talk to Father about Shisui moving out of the compound.</p><p>            “Father,” Itachi greeted him.</p><p>            “Itachi-kun, what can I do for you?” Father asked him. He looked tired from the day, but he seemed to perk up when Itachi spoke up to him.</p><p>            “It’s about Shisui,” Itachi stated. “He wants to move out of the compound and get a place of his own.” His father looked surprised before his face contorted with anger.</p><p>“What?” He asked angrily. “That’s-“</p><p>“Father,” Itachi said cutting him. “Think about this as an opportunity for our clan to reintegrate with the rest of the village. Hokage-sama abolished the laws made against us due to the lies spread by Danzo-sama.” His father calmed down and looked thoughtful. He was listening. “By Shisui moving out and spending more time with the other villagers, the villagers will begin to see that everything they were told was lies. They’ll want to get to know our clan members better. And Shisui said he’d be willing to be the middleman for our clan if he needed to be.”</p><p>            “I see.” Father said thoughtfully. “When is he going to talk to me about this matter?”</p><p>            “I believe he said he’d talk to you tomorrow.” Itachi said feeling relieved.</p><p>            “Very well, I’ll give him my good graces.” Father said nodding.</p><p>            “Thank you, Father.” Itachi said bowing to him.</p><p>            “It’s late, you should get to bed.” Father said softly.</p><p>            “Yes, Father. Good night.” Itachi said before leaving the study. The next day, Itachi spends his first day as an ANBU member being trained by Raidou-san and Genma-san. According to Genma-san, he was supposed to be trained by Kakashi Senpai, but Kakashi Senpai was busy guarding Shikaku-sama’s home. Itachi did notice that some villagers hung around the Nara Estate a lot when Naruto was home. After Itachi’s first day of training, Genma-san and Raidou-san invited him out to the bar. Itachi got a water while his trainers got beer. Gai-san, Kurenai-san, and Asuma-san joined them.</p><p>            “It’s too bad Kakashi couldn’t join us.” Raidou-san said some time later. At this point, Itachi’s ‘seniors’ were all drunk and he found it amusing. Kurenai-san and Asuma-san were making googly eyes at each other while Genma-san, Raidou-san, and Gai-san were having a three-way yelling match up to this point.</p><p>            “He’s on a mission,” Asuma-san said, a few of his words slurred.</p><p>            “To do what?” Itachi asked curiously.</p><p>            “He’s guarding Shikaku-sama’s home!” Gai-san answered with gusto. “Very admirable, my rival!”</p><p>            “It seems some villagers have been hanging around Shikaku-sama home.” Genma-san said frowning. “Hokage-sama is worried someone is going to go after Naruto-kun.”</p><p>            “With good reason too.” Kurenai-san said shaking her head, drunkenly. “That poor kid. Have you heard what happened to his apartment?”</p><p>            “Yeah, some kids trashed it good.” Raidou-san said sighing. “And up until Shikaku-sama took him in, he had been living out in the woods.” They talked more about Naruto-kun for a while before they decided to go home. Itachi’s plan was starting to come together. He hoped that the days going forward will be easier for Naruto-kun and that school will become easier.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>